Two Heroes, One Destiny
by EliseArainai
Summary: Sora and his friends find an injured warrior washed up on the beach. They learn that he is Link, a warrior whose world is being plagued by a darkness that even the Hero of Hyrule cannot defeat on his own. R&R! cover by dmgoodrum on deviantArt
1. Prologue

**Hey guys, how's it goin'? This is my very first crossover, and I hope you like it! Also, major thanks to Daisuke Haoru for inspiring me.**

**Author's note: Just in case anyone asks, I may as well explain. This Link is from Twilight Princess. At the moment, he doesn't have the Master Sword since he returned it to the Sacred Grove at the end of the game. He is currently wielding the Ordon Sword, along with the Hylian Shield. Link will get the Master Sword again later in the story, tho! ^^**

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

Link opened his eyes and stood up. He looked around, confused as to how he got there. He then looked at the floor, which was like stained glass. The image depicted was of him on his faithful horse Epona, who was rearing as he held out the Master Sword. Surrounding his image were those of a beautiful brown-haired princess, an evil green-skinned man, and another lovely princess with pale skin and red eyes. He recognized them all: Zelda, Ganondorf, and Midna.

The blonde warrior blinked a few times and brought a hand up to his arm, which he pulled away in surprise. A short while ago, he had been injured on his left arm, as well as a few other places, but now it was as if the injuries had never happened. "What is this place…?" he muttered.

_This is your heart…_

"Who's there?" Link demanded as he reached for his sword and shield, only to realize that, like his wounds, they were missing. He somehow calmed down when a beam of light appeared before him and the voice started speaking again.

_Now… walk forward… can you do it?_

The young hero was hesitant, but he stepped forward until he reached the beam, which vanished when he touched it. Startled, he whirled around only to see a ball of light appear on the other side of the platform.

_Take this power… It will serve you of great purpose…_

Link glanced at his left hand, where the mark of the Triforce was covered by his glove. The mark was now glowing through the glove, and it seemed to glow brighter the closer Link was to the light. Curious, the warrior reached out and the ball of light spun around him before going into his body. Link closed his eyes and touched his chest, his heart filled with warmth. "I don't know why, but… I suddenly feel stronger," he said to himself. 

His Hylian ears pricked up when he heard a noise behind him. He turned to see a small, black creature with glowing yellow eyes crawling towards him. It was one of the strange creatures he was fighting not too long ago. With no weapon to fight it, Link started to back away.

_Do not be afraid… fight with your strength… your old and your new found strength…_

Link's eyes widened when his sword and shield suddenly appeared in his left hand and his right forearm. He breathed a quick sigh a relief, and then rushed forward and slashed the creature, which was promptly destroyed. Link blinked a couple of times in confusion. Earlier when he was fighting those things, his sword had done almost no damage. He had no more time to think as more creatures appeared around him.

_You're surrounded!_

Link smiled to himself. He held out his blade and spun in a circle, destroying all of the creatures. That Spin Attack always did come in handy for times like this. But still, he had to wonder why his attacks were just now killing those things when they had little to no effect before. _Could this be… my new strength?_ he thought.

Suddenly, he heard a loud crack and the floor beneath him shattered. Link fell through the darkness until he saw another stained glass floor appear. As he came closer, he looked at the image. On one side, he saw himself looking out at what he assumed was Hyrule Field, the Master Sword in his left hand. Standing back-to-back with him was a teenage boy with spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was holding a large key-like weapon and standing on a beach as he looked out at the ocean. As Link landed on the floor, he silently wondered who that boy was.

He felt the ground shake, and he looked up to see a huge, shadowy creature with a large hole in the shape of a heart in its abdomen. The creature pulled back its fist, and Link just managed to roll out of the way as it slammed into the ground. As he stood up, he noticed that the Triforce mark was glowing again. He focused on the giant shadow, and watched as two triangles of light appeared on either side of it, effectively trapping it. Link took this opportunity to launch himself at his opponent and began slashing and stabbing repeatedly before ending it with one powerful strike. The triangles shattered, and the shadow seemingly disappeared.

Link landed perfectly on the stained glass floor, and he sheathed his sword and placed the shield on his back. He stared at his hand in awe. "How… how did I do that…?" he wondered. Up until now, he had never managed to pull off such a technique.

He then looked down at the floor only to see that it was covered in darkness, and that darkness had begun to pull him in. "What's happening?" Link shouted as he tried to escape, but to no avail. As the darkness swallowed him, he saw the mark of the Triforce shine one more time before everything went black.

_Your strength and your courage will always help you get through…_

_Do not forget…_

_Even in the deepest darkness…_

_There will always be light…_

…

Sora and Kairi slipped into the Secret Place as fast as they could. They had just barely managed to give a nosy Tidus and Selphie the slip after school, and they felt like they needed some time alone.

Once they were safely inside, the two fell against the stone walls to catch their breath. Sora looked over at his red-headed companion and smiled. "Phew, that was close."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I thought we'd never lose them," she said. Then she pulled Sora closer and kissed him right on the lips. The Keybearer wrapped his arms around Kairi's waist and kissed her back. After a minute, they pulled away and gazed lovingly into each other's eyes.

Sora gave a soft smile and brushed a strand of hair out of his girlfriend's face. It had been about a month since they had confessed their feelings to each other, but time alone was hard to get. They tried to make every moment alone count.

Kairi smiled back at her boyfriend and then glanced at one particular drawing on the wall. In their childhood, the two of them had drawn each other's faces. In more recent years, Sora had added a hand giving Kairi's picture a paopu fruit, and Kairi had done the same. "Ever think that picture will become reality?" she asked.

"I think it will," Sora answered with a nod.

"Really? When?" Kairi responded eagerly, her eyes all lit up.

The brunette kissed Kairi's forehead as he reached into his bag and pulled out a paopu fruit. "Right now," he said as he held it out to her.

Kairi's hands went to her mouth in surprise. "Oh, Sora!" she exclaimed, her eyes almost tearing up.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time, Kairi," Sora said softly. "If we share this, our destinies will become intertwined." He waited until she had her hands on one side of the star-shaped fruit before giving her one last look. "Are you ready?"

The redhead nodded. "Yes."

The two lovers leaned forward and were about to take a bite from the paopu fruit when they heard footsteps coming their way. They turned to see their other childhood friend Riku skid to a stop in front of them.

"Heh, I thought you'd be in here," Riku panted.

Sora groaned. "Aw, come on Riku! You're interrupting something kinda important!"

"Sorry Sora, but there's something I think you'll want to see," Riku said as he jerked his thumb toward the entrance of the Secret Place.

"Oh, okay," Sora mumbled as he stood up. "Kairi, you wanna come?"

"Sure, why not?" she said as she got up, making sure to pick up her school bag before following the boys out of the cave. The paopu fruit was left behind.

Riku led his friends to the beach. They kept walking until they reached the spot where a figure was lying washed up on the sand. "Here he is," the silver-haired boy said as he pointed out the figure to Sora.

Sora slowly approached the figure. It was a young man lying on his stomach, but his head was turned just enough for the Keybearer to see his face. He had blonde hair and pointed ears which were pierced with a small, silver hoop in each ear. He was dressed in a green tunic with a chainmail shirt and white shirt underneath, white trousers, brown leather boots and a long green hat. His left forearm was protected with a guard, and both hands were gloved. Finally, there was a sword and a shield lying next to him. Sora guessed that Riku had removed those when he had found him. The young man himself had suffered multiple slash wounds, and his breathing was shaky.

Sora knelt down and held out a hand. "Heal!" he said as he cast Curaga on the warrior. He breathed a sigh a relief when the injuries were healed. "Here, help me turn him over," he instructed his friends, who quickly assisted.

Once the young man was on his back, he let out a soft moan and his eyes opened slightly. "…Where am I?" he whispered, his voice barely audible over the crashing waves.

Sora blinked, but answered the blonde's question. "You're on Destiny Islands. I don't know what happened to you, but you're safe now."

"Thank you," the warrior said softly. "Who are you?"

"My name's Sora. This is Riku and Kairi," Sora answered, pointing to his friends as he introduced them. "What's your name?"

Just before his eyes closed again, the young man uttered one last word. "…Link."


	2. Chapter 1

**Yes, the first chapter is up! But first, I would like to thank Daisuke Haoru and DestinyCrusader for their continued support! Your opinions (and anyone else's) mean a lot to me! Enjoy! ^_^**

**P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Kairi asked, her arms folded as she looked at Sora and Riku.

Riku shrugged. "Do you have a better one? He's our responsibility."

"He's got a point," Sora said as he looked over at the unconscious foreigner who was currently lying in Kairi's bed.

The young man known to them as "Link" hadn't woken up again since Sora healed him, so the three friends had done the only thing they could think of: they brought him to Kairi's house so he could get some proper rest. Her parents were always working, so they felt that this was the best option.

"Where do you suppose he's from?" Riku asked.

"And how did he get to Destiny Islands?" Kairi wondered.

"Beats me," Sora said with a shrug. He then focused his attention on the sword and shield which belonged to the warrior. "Well whoever he is, he's sure got a neat shield. I wonder if these symbols mean anything?"

"Who knows? Let's just leave him alone for a while," Riku said as he started toward the door. "We can ask him more questions when he wakes up."

"Fair enough," Sora agreed. He and Kairi followed the silverette out of Kairi's room and closed the door. None of them were aware of the one red eye watching them from the shadows.

…

The young hero's eyes opened and he slowly sat up. Scanning his surroundings, he realized that he had somehow ended up in someone's bedroom. He also noticed that his chest was bare and bore none of the injuries he had received. He rubbed his head as he tried to recall what happened before he'd blacked out.

"So, you decided to join the living," a high voice piped up. Link looked around to see where the voice was coming from. Then he saw something move, and a shadow made herself known. Her only distinguishing feature at the moment was a red eye, and for some reason she was no longer in her true form. Either way, Link was relieved to see someone familiar.

"Midna? What happened?" he asked. "Why aren't you in your true form?"

"To be perfectly honest, I could be in my true form right now, but I figured that for the time being, this would be a tad more convenient. As it turns out, I can revert to this form at any time now," the Twili imp explained with a light laugh.

"How long was I out?" Link inquired.

"Oh, about two weeks," Midna answered simply. She grinned when Link's eyes widened in surprise. "Just kidding! You slept through last night, that's all. The sun came up two hours ago." She let out one more laugh when Link glared at her, then her expression became a little more serious. "Do you remember anything?"

Link paused as he struggled to remember. "I… I remember we were fighting those creatures… I was wounded, and…" He sighed and shook his head. His memories were still a little fuzzy.

Midna let out a frustrated sigh. "You really don't remember? Oh well, it'd probably be best if you saved that story for those kids who found you."

"Kids?" Link mumbled.

"They were about your age, called themselves Sora, Riku and Kairi," Midna explained. "Incidentally, we're at the girl Kairi's house right now."

Link nodded as his memories came back to him. "Oh yeah, I remember them… kind of. They must've also healed my wounds." Then he remembered that strange dream he had, and he turned to his companion. "Midna, did one of those kids have a giant key with them?"

"Hm? A giant key?" she asked, giving Link a sideways look. "What are you going on about?"

"Nothing, never mind," the blonde muttered. "Um, are you okay?"

"Still a little tired from teleporting us to who-knows-where, but other than that I'm fine," the imp answered. Then she flashed a mischievous grin. "And aren't you kind to worry about me!"

Link smiled. "You're my friend, of course I'd worry."

Midna quickly turned around so Link couldn't see her flushed cheeks. "Actually, I'm surprised you haven't asked about your clothes," she said, keeping her voice even despite the blushing. "They got all cut up from those shadow things, and that girl is trying to fix them." Then she turned to face him once again. "I wonder if she'll do a good job," she said before laughing.

The young hero's face turned red. "I hope so, I don't even want to think about the alternative!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Hey, are you awake?" a feminine voice asked.

"Well, see you later!" Midna said before quickly disappearing into the shadows.

Link quickly looked back and forth between the door and where his companion had vanished. He sighed, and then called to whoever was at the door. "Come in!"

The girl who came in was very pretty. She had dark red hair that came down past her shoulders, dark blue eyes and tanned skin. She was wearing a short pink dress that showed off much more leg than Link was used to seeing, and in her arms were Link's clothes, mended and folded neatly. This must've been Kairi. "I heard voices, so I came to check on you. How do you feel?"

"Uh, much better, thank you," Link answered as he focused his attention away from Kairi's bare legs.

"Good! The boys will be happy to hear that," the redhead said with a smile. She placed the clothes at the foot of the bed. "I sewed up the holes as best I could, and your boots and other stuff are in front of the bed."

"I appreciate it," the warrior said gratefully. This girl may be strange to him, but she was very kind. She reminded Link of Ilia, a girl he had a crush on back home.

"Well, I'll let you get dressed and then you can come downstairs, okay?" Kairi said as she turned to leave.

"Okay," Link answered before the girl closed the door behind her. He unfolded his tunic and looked it over. Apparently Kairi was very good at sewing, because he could barely see any stitches. The only thing that looked worse for wear was his chainmail shirt, but the damage was minimal and he could get that fixed when he got back to Hyrule.

The hero's thoughts drifted when he thought of his homeworld. Those foul creatures had probably overrun half of Hyrule by now… and he was unable to do a thing. He hadn't felt so helpless since his world was threatened by the Twilight a year ago, and his friends were taken right before his eyes. It was during those events that he grew stronger and eventually, with Midna's help, he was able to find his friends, defeat the evil Ganondorf, and restore Hyrule to its original state.

Link shook those thoughts out of his head and got dressed. Then he left the bedroom and headed downstairs. He saw Kairi sitting on a sofa and talking to two boys. One of the boys had long silver hair and piercing green eyes, and the other – Link did a double-take when he saw the other boy. He looked exactly like the boy from his dream: same face, same clothes, even the same spiky brown hair. The only thing missing was that key. Link cleared his throat to get their attention, and the brunette's eyes lit up when he saw him.

"Hey, you're awake!" he exclaimed as he practically leapt out of his seat.

"I want to thank you three for saving me," Link said with a smile.

"No worries," the silverette replied. "We're just happy you're alright… although I'm curious as to how you got here in the first place."

The smile on Link's face disappeared as he suddenly turned serious. "I'll explain later, but first I have something to ask you." He turned to face the brunette. "This might sound strange, but do you possess a large key? And does that key have anything to do with certain creatures of shadow?"

"A large key… Oh, you mean this?" the boy asked as he held out his hand. Sure enough, the key from Link's dream appeared in his hand. Link nodded, and the boy continued talking. "This is called a Keyblade. It's a special weapon that works especially well against creatures of darkness such as Heartless. Riku has one, too," he finished by jerking his thumb at the silverette, or Riku. That meant that this boy was Sora, according to Midna.

Link's eyebrows shot up. "Heartless? Is that what they're called?"

"That depends," Riku said. "What did these 'creatures of shadow' look like?"

"They were… I'm not quite sure how to describe them…" Link muttered.

"They look something like this," a certain high-pitched voice cut in. All four teens turned in the direction of the voice and saw what looked like a Shadow Heartless. Sora and Riku instinctively readied their Keyblades, and Sora stepped in front of Kairi. However, Link simply stepped forward without even drawing his sword.

"I think they got it, Midna. Now turn back," he ordered the "Shadow." Without another word, Midna reverted to her imp form.

"What the-? Who're you?" Sora asked as he and Riku both put away their Keyblades.

"This is Midna, a friend of mine," Link said. "She's the one who brought me here."

Midna floated forward until she situated herself in Riku's shadow. "Nice to meet you," she said with a sly smile. She seemed oddly interested in the silver-haired Keybearer.

"Uh, you too," Riku said as he took a step back. "Anyway, that thing she imitated: that's a Heartless. That particular type was a Shadow, but there are many other forms. All Heartless are created when the darkness that resides in a person's heart consumes him or her, thus giving the darkness shape and form. Being born from darkness, they are mindless and act on instinct, their only goal to find hearts, and consume them to create more Heartless. But what they desire above all are the hearts of worlds, and thus they enter worlds in search of the way into the hearts of the worlds."

Link listened to Riku's explanation with intense focus. "So these… Heartless… could they be searching for the heart of Hyrule?"

"That's most likely the case," Sora answered. "And if so, we'll have to get back to your world as soon as possible."

Kairi walked up to the brunette and took his hand. "If you're leaving, then take this," she said as she placed an odd-looking star into Sora's hand. Sora, in turn, put it in his pocket.

"As always, I'll take care of it," he said softly. Kairi smiled and kissed Sora's cheek.

"Well, now that that's taken care of, shall we be going?" Midna piped up. "Sora and Riku, brace yourselves."

Link closed his eyes, and he could feel his body breaking apart as he and the two Keybearers were teleported off of Destiny Islands.

…

Sora felt his body come back together. He had to admit, Midna's teleporting certainly was a… unique way of traveling. He looked around to make sure that Riku and Link were still with him. He saw the two, but Link's expression was one of shock. Sora glanced at his surroundings: they had ended up in a forest, but there was an odd glow around them, and hundreds of black squares were ascending to the sky. Overall, it was pretty creepy.

"This is your homeworld, Link?" he asked in disbelief.

"Y-Yes, but it shouldn't be like this," Link stammered. Suddenly his breath caught, and he fell to his hands and knees. "Oh no…"

"Link?" Sora cried as he watched him go down.

"What's wrong, Link?" Riku asked as he tried to get closer.

"Stay back!" Link shouted as he glared at his companions with feral eyes. His voice had sounded almost guttural and his face contorted in pain as he tried not to scream.

Sora was about to cast Cure when he felt a sudden pain in his chest and he too fell to his knees. He felt his body become cold, and through barely-open eyes, he could see his skin and clothes turn black. Riku's voice and Link's cries of pain sounded far away. Finally, it was too much for the young Keybearer and he collapsed. The last thing he heard before passing out was the howl of a wolf.

**Whoa, that was a little longer than I thought it was gonna be. Oh well, see ya in the next chapter! ^_^**


	3. Chapter 2

**Yay, Chapter 2 is out! Hope you enjoy!**

**P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

"…ra. Sora!"

Sora's eyes opened, and the first thing he saw was Midna. She was gazing down at him with that one red eye, and she was no longer a mere shadow on the wall. Her skin was black and white, and she wore a strange-looking helmet which hid her other eye. Behind her was a stone wall, and a quick look around confirmed that they were in a dungeon somewhere.

He slowly sat up. "What happened?" he muttered before slapping a hand over his mouth. His voice had become somewhat distorted. Sora became even more frightened when he noticed that his skin and clothes were now an inky black, and his hands were clawed. He noticed a puddle nearby and scrambled over to look at his reflection. The only distinguishable features on his face were two big yellow eyes. When he opened his mouth, his teeth were pointed.

In this form, he called himself AntiSora, a dark version of himself which came about as a result of turning into a Heartless. Normally, he would turn into this form if he used his Drive Forms too often, as a sort of punishment, but he had somehow transformed when he entered Hyrule. The Keybearer didn't know how long he had been out, but if he hadn't turned back by now, he would most likely be stuck like this for a while. At least this time, he seemed to at least keep some of his sanity.

Midna floated over and glanced at AntiSora's reflection. "My my, so you transformed as well. If I didn't know any better, I probably would've mistaken you for a Heartless!" AntiSora glared at her with a growl. "Ooh, scary! You're a bit wild like this, aren't you?" the imp teased, moving away when he swiped at her with his claws. "Keep that up, and I won't help you escape."

AntiSora calmed down a bit. Since he couldn't use the Keyblade or magic in his current state, he would have to rely on Midna's help. Suddenly, he heard a sound from behind him. He turned to see a silver wolf lying on the floor. The beast yawned, as if it had just woken up, and then looked around until it saw AntiSora. It let out a low growl and got into an aggressive stance, and the boy did the same.

But before either of them could do anything, Midna floated between them. "Hold it! Is this really the best time for that?" she chastised them. The wolf whined and sat down. "Good boy!" Midna said as she petted its head. The beast glared at her for a second, and then it leaned forward and licked Midna's cheek. "Ah! Okay, I get it. You're happy to see me!" she squeaked in-between giggles.

"Midna, you know this creature?" AntiSora asked in a confused tone.

"So do you, actually," the imp replied. "You did save his life, after all!"

AntiSora cautiously crept toward the wolf. Now that he had a better look, he noticed that the wolf's ears were pierced with silver hoops, and its eyes were just like those of the young hero he had met just a day ago. "L…Link?" he asked softly. The wolf's eyes seemed to light up at the sound of that name. He let out a happy bark and walked toward AntiSora until he was close enough to be petted. AntiSora smiled and petted the beast. "I can't believe it… It's really you! What happened?"

"I'll explain," Midna piped up. "Link is the Hero of the Twilight, or the Hero of Hyrule, or whichever you prefer. When a normal person enters the Twilight, they become a spirit and they are completely unaware of any change. But Link here was chosen by the gods, thus he turns into a beast."

"The Twilight?" AntiSora inquired.

"That's what's covering Hyrule right now. This would normally be restricted to the Twilight Realm, my home," the imp continued. "I thought I had destroyed the last link between the Twilight Realm and the Realm of Light, but it seems I was mistaken." Then she looked back and forth between AntiSora and Wolf Link. "Come to think of it, there were four of us before. I wonder where the last one is…"

AntiSora's eyes widened when he realized who was missing. "Riku! What happened to him? Did you see anything, Midna?" he cried desperately.

"Sadly no. I was so tired from teleporting three people and myself to a whole other world that I dozed off as soon as we reached Hyrule," Midna said, avoiding eye contact and actually sounding a little ashamed. Then she waved a hand toward the cell door and destroyed the lock, causing the door to swing open. Then she seated herself on Wolf Link's back. "So are we going to look for your friend or not?"

AntiSora nodded. "Yeah, let's go!"

…

Riku's eyes fluttered open. A quick glance confirmed that he had been placed in a tower room. He had no idea where his friends had been taken. Looking out the window, he could just barely see part of a castle that the tower belonged to. Other than that he was completely in the dark.

The silverette reached up to rub the back of his head, wincing when he touched sore flesh. He tried to recall what had happened before he had ended up here. He remembered that Link, a warrior native to this world, had transformed into a silver wolf. Sora, his best friend from home, had reverted to his AntiForm, outwardly showing the darkness still in his heart. Riku himself was the only one who had not changed in any way, oddly enough, and the imp called Midna was nowhere to be seen. Before he could wrap his mind around it all, Heartless attacked him and he was knocked out while trying to protect his unconscious companions.

"Oh good, you have awaken," a melodious voice snapped the boy out of his thoughts. Riku looked beside him and what he saw was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. She had long brown hair and blue eyes, and her ears were pointed like Link's. Her beautiful dress and her headdress made her look like a fairytale princess.

Riku could feel his cheeks turn red as he gazed at this woman. He tried to speak, but no words came out.

The young woman gave a concerned look and walked closer to him. "When they brought you here and you were not moving, I was worried. How do you feel?"

Finally, the silver-haired Keybearer found his voice. "…I've felt better. Who are you, and where are we?"

"I am Zelda, princess of Hyrule," she answered. "We are in Hyrule Castle, which was my home before those foul creatures appeared." She looked at the boy with a serious expression. "They have imprisoned me here, as well as you."

Riku snapped out of his stupor and his fists clenched. He stood up and began walking toward the door. He stopped a few feet in front of it and held out his hand, preparing to summon the Way of the Dawn. With that, he could unlock the door and escape with this princess, and he would be able to take out any Heartless that tried to stop them.

However, as soon as the Keyblade appeared in his hand, an intense pain coursed through his body. "Wha-! AAAAAAHHH!" Riku screamed. He felt like he was being struck by lightning over and over again. The Way of the Dawn then disappeared, and the pain stopped. Riku fell to one knee, panting heavily. _What the… What just happened? Where did that pain come from?_

Zelda walked over and placed one hand on Riku's shoulder and the other on his right hand. On his wrist was a black manacle, something that the boy had failed to notice when he came to. The light blue patterns on the manacle were fading away. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Her touch warmed Riku, and he relaxed. He then looked at the manacle, which was now solid black. "I don't know who put this on me, but it looks like I can't use my Keyblade now."

The princess grasped Riku's shoulders and gently turned him so he would face her. "I am sorry," she murmured, her eyes looking at the floor.

He closed his eyes as he spoke. "Don't apologize; it's not your fault." Riku tried to get up, but he was still a bit shaky, so Zelda supported him. She managed to move him to the small bed he woke up in and he sat down on the edge. "So much for my escape plan," he muttered.

Zelda gave a sad smile and then looked out the window. "This is not the first time this has happened to me. The last time was about a year ago, when the Twilight first threatened this world. That time I surrendered, but this time I was imprisoned by force." She turned to face Riku again. "Tell me; were you alone when those creatures found you?"

Riku shook his head. "No, I was with my friend and someone named Link. I don't know what happened to them."

"Link was there?" the princess asked suddenly.

Startled, Riku blinked a couple of times before answering. "Y-Yes. Do you know him?"

The lovely brunette nodded. "He is the Hero of Hyrule, the Hero of the Twilight. As long as we are here, I may as well tell you about him…"


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry to make you wait! After several months of writer's block, here is chapter 3! Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed my story so far. I love hearing your opinions, so please keep 'em coming! Enjoy!**

AntiSora and Wolf Link slipped out of the cell and quietly snuck into the empty cell next to them, where there was a secret passage out of there. Midna rode on Wolf Link's back, not making a sound. As AntiSora looked around, he noticed that the same odd glow from the forest was present here. That must have been the Twilight that Midna spoke of, and what caused him and Link to transform.

After a few minutes, he saw a tiny orb of light. If he listened, he could faintly hear a voice coming from it.

"You can talk, you know," Midna said suddenly, startling the teenager. "No one else can see or hear you."

"That little light, is it one of those spirits you mentioned?" AntiSora asked.

"Very good!" Midna said with a light clap of her hands. "You're catching on faster than this one did." She said that as she smacked Wolf Link upside the head.

The transformed Keybearer let out a small laugh. He stopped when he realized just how unnatural, almost sinister, it sounded. This made his desire to return to his original form that much stronger.

They made their way into the sewers only to be greeted by several Shadow Heartless. AntiSora and Wolf Link prepared themselves for battle. AntiSora got down on all fours and then pounced at the nearest Heartless, his claws destroying it. Wolf Link charged forward and rammed one Heartless before sinking his teeth into another.

**Feral Trigger**

AntiSora and Wolf Link horizontally spun towards the Shadows with their claws grinding against them several times and rounded them up.

**Feral Destruction**

Wolf Link howled and AntiSora slammed into the ground, and a black and white aura appeared around them, damaging nearby foes and destroying most of them.

AntiSora finally kicked at the last Shadow, destroying it. "We make a pretty good team, Link," he commented. Wolf Link barked in agreement. All was calm again, and the three continued on their way.

Soon AntiSora, Wolf Link and Midna made it out of the sewers and into a tower. The stairwell leading to the top was in terrible condition, but Midna was able to help the other two up thanks to her long orange hair, which acted like a hand to grab them and pull them up.

After a while, the group climbed out of the tower and onto the roof. The Keybearer could see that they were on top of a large castle. "Midna, you never answered my question about where we were," AntiSora mentioned.

"You're right, I didn't," Midna said. "This is Hyrule Castle, home of Princess Zelda… or at least it was. It looks quite lovely, all covered in Twilight…" 

"Please tell me you're joking," AntiSora muttered, giving the imp a sideways look.

"You're talking to someone who is from the Twilight Realm," the imp pointed out. "Get used to it!" Then she kicked Wolf Link's sides to get him to start moving again. "Follow us!"

As they scaled the roof of the enormous castle, the group encountered another group of Heartless, but once again they were easily dealt with. Soon, the three of them reached a window and climbed through it carefully. They ended up on a stairwell that led to a locked door. 

"If only I could use my Keyblade, I could open the door," AntiSora said, folding his arms.

"I'll handle this," Midna said just seconds before waving her arm and destroying the door. "Princess, you in here?" she called. 

"That voice… Midna?" a feminine voice replied. AntiSora looked inside and saw a beautiful princess, apparently Zelda, sitting on the edge of the bed. And right next to her was…

"Riku! You're alright!" the Keybearer exclaimed as he rushed over to his friend, Wolf Link padding in after him. 

"Sora, glad to see you," the silverette said as he stood up. He then noticed the uneasy look the princess was giving AntiSora. "It's okay, your highness. He's my friend."

Zelda sighed with relief. "He must have been transformed by the Twilight. Speaking of which," she said as Wolf Link came up to her and bowed his head, "I am glad you are here, Link, Midna."

"Yeah, but Riku… how come you haven't changed?" AntiSora asked. "I thought anybody else besides Link and I became a spirit."

"That's what the princess told me," Riku said with a shrug. "I don't know, but something's preventing me from using the Way of the Dawn." The silver-haired boy held up his right wrist which had a black manacle on it. "The one time I did try to use it, a terrible pain coursed through my body."

"So neither of you can use your Keyblades, then?" Midna asked, folding her arms. "Not very helpful." 

"Watch it!" AntiSora growled before Riku gently grasped his shoulder, calming him a little. "The AntiForm I'm in now won't let me use the Keyblade. Once I'm out of the Twilight, I'll go back to normal and I can use it again. Right?" he asked turning to Zelda.

"That would most likely be the case," she said with a nod. "Link cannot use any of his weapons as a beast, so I suppose it makes sense."

"Can you tell us what happened?" the transformed Keybearer asked. "How did this place get covered by Twilight?"

The princess frowned. "One year ago, the Twilight threatened this world. If not for Link, darkness would have covered the land forever. As the rightful ruler of the Twilight Realm, Midna broke the last link between the two realms, or so we thought."

AntiSora whipped around to face the imp floating nearby. "Hold it! You're the ruler of the Twilight?!" he asked in disbelief.

Midna grinned and nodded. "You're looking at the Twilight Princess! Don't worry though, we're on the same side. Ask real nicely and maybe I'll show you my true form sometime!" she said with a giggle.

"To continue," Zelda cut in. "A few days ago, some sort of black portal opened in the throne room. Midna and a man in a black cloak came out. The man summoned these strange creatures, and I told Midna to get Link. They overwhelmed my knights, and the cloaked man imprisoned me here. I could only watch as the kingdom of Hyrule was covered by the Twilight."

"It's true," Midna said. "That guy showed up in my realm through a black portal and sapped some of my power. That must've been how he was able to do such a thing."

AntiSora bowed his head. "Your highness, I promise I'll defeat the Heartless and whoever's controlling them!" Wolf Link barked in agreement.

"Then I'm afraid it's up to you guys," Riku said as he sat back down on the bed.

"You're not coming with us?" AntiSora blurted out.

Riku just shook his head. "We don't know how much of Hyrule is covered. With this thing on my wrist, I'd just be a burden to you. At least you and Link can still fight." He gave his best friend a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

The young Keybearer just looked at Riku for a few seconds before reluctantly nodding. "Alright, I'll go. I'll be back for you, I promise!"

"In that case, let me fix the door so we can get out of here!" Midna said. Waving her arms, she quickly repaired the door.

"I wish you both the best of luck," Zelda said.

AntiSora and Wolf Link bowed one more time before the Twilight Princess teleported them out of the castle.


	5. Chapter 4

**By popular demand, here's chapter 4! As usual, please read, review, and above all, enjoy!**

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

Soon after Midna had teleported him and Wolf Link out of Hyrule Castle, Sora opened his eyes and looked around. They had ended up in what seemed to be a tree house, and the strange glow of the Twilight was nowhere to be seen.

Sora then felt a sudden warmth fill his body, and he looked down to see the blackness fade away from his skin and clothes. "Alright, I'm back to normal!" he cheered, his voice no longer distorted.

"Excellent!" Midna said as she hovered next to him. The imp still retained her appearance from when she was in the Twilight. Sora made a mental note to ask her about that later. "Ah, Link's turning back too," she said as she turned toward the silver wolf, who was slowly and painfully turning back into the young hero. Once the transformation was complete, Link remained on his hands and knees, panting heavily.

"Link? You okay?" Sora asked as he cautiously approached the warrior, holding out his hand to help him up.

Link looked up at the Keybearer and smiled before taking his hand and allowing himself to be pulled up. "I'm fine, thanks," he answered. "Just a little sore. It's been a long time since I transformed."

"Well, it's good to have you back," Sora said. "It was kinda weird not being able to talk to you." For some reason, Link and Midna exchanged odd looks at that remark. "So, where are we?"

"This is my place. It's just outside of Ordon Village. Speaking of which," Link said before opening the door and walking outside. "Thank goodness, the Twilight hasn't reached the village."

Midna and Sora joined him. "Yeah, but it's pretty close," the Twili imp said, pointing to a dark wall further into the forest that stretched up to the sky. "I'd imagine the villagers are pretty frightened right now."

"That's where we ended up when we first came here," Sora muttered. Then he watched as Link slid down a ladder. "Where are you going?"

"To Ordon Spring," Link answered as he took off toward the forest. "I need to check something."

"Wait up!" Sora called as he leapt down to the ground, foregoing the ladder altogether. He rushed past a brown and white horse, who neighed in surprise.

Midna flew next to Sora, guiding him to the spring. When they arrived, Link was facing five Soldier Heartless along with a Large Body Heartless. "That idiot!" Midna muttered before ducking into Sora's shadow.

The Keyblade appeared in Sora's hand, much to his relief, and he ran over to assist the hero. "Need a hand?" he asked.

"If you don't mind terribly," Link answered as he blocked a Soldier's kick with his shield before slashing at it and destroying it.

Sora fought alongside him, concentrating on the smaller Heartless while avoiding the Large Body. "Frontal attacks won't work on the big guy!" he warned Link as he countered a kick from a Soldier.

"Then leave him to me," the hero said with a confident smile. He whistled to catch the Large Body's attention, and it lumbered towards him. Link then rolled right behind it before executing a jumping spin attack, successfully taking it out.

Sora, meanwhile, had knocked the two remaining Heartless into the air. He then leapt up and struck both of them with his Keyblade, causing them to disappear. He landed on the ground next to Link. "Nice move!" he complimented.

"Back Slice, always good for armored opponents," Link explained as he sheathed his sword and placed his shield on his back. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," Sora grinned.

Suddenly, a bright light appeared above the spring in front of them, causing the two teens to shield their eyes with their hands. After a few seconds, they looked and saw a shining goat-like creature with an orb of light between its horns. "Oh brave youth… again, you have come to my aid. I thank you," the creature said, apparently speaking to Link. Its voice was soft and melodic.

"You're welcome, Ordona, but I didn't do it alone this time," Link said as he gestured to Sora. "This is Sora, a warrior from another world."

"Hello!" Sora said with a smile.

"Welcome," the one called Ordona greeted. "I am Ordona, one of the four Light Spirits that protect Hyrule at the behest of the gods. I thank you for slaying those creatures. They had come to seize the power of light I wield."

Midna suddenly appeared between the two warriors. "Let me put it this way: Ordona protects all of Ordona Province," she explained to Sora. "But if he loses his power of light, then this whole area will be covered in Twilight, just like the Faron Woods and Hyrule Castle."

"She speaks the truth," Ordona confirmed. "With things as they are, there is no doubt that the other three Light Spirits have already had their light stolen. Oh brave youths, restore the light of the other spirits and dispel the Twilight once again."

Link bowed his head before the Light Spirit. "I will, I promise."

"Me, too," Sora said, also bowing his head.

"I wish you luck. May the gods watch over you," Ordona said before returning to the spring.

"As I feared," Link muttered. "The Heartless have spread throughout Hyrule, though I wasn't expecting the Twilight."

"Don't worry, Link, I promised I'd help you fight them, and I will," Sora reassured. "Also, my friend is trapped in Hyrule Castle, and I'll do anything to help him."

A grateful smile appeared on Link's face. "Thank you. I'll never forget this."

"Uh, not to interrupt, but shouldn't you check on the village?" Midna asked Link.

"Ah, right," the warrior nodded. Then he whistled a short tune, and seconds later, the horse that Sora had startled earlier galloped into the spring. "Hey, Epona!" Link laughed as the horse nudged him affectionately. "It's good to see you, too!"

"Oh, that was your horse?" Sora asked.

"Uh-huh," Link said as he stroked the horse's neck. "This is Epona. She's been with me for a long time."

"She's beautiful," the Keybearer said as he reached out to pet her. Epona, however, shied away from him.

"It's okay, girl. Sora's a friend," Link spoke softly. "He can pet you." Epona looked at Sora warily. "Try whistling that tune I used. She always responds to that."

"Okay, I'll give it a try," Sora said. "How'd that go again?"

"Like this," Link said before whistling the tune again: three notes, high, middle and low, then repeated it.

Sora nodded before whistling the tune himself, a little slower than the hero did. Epona then walked over and nuzzled the teenager. "Ha ha, I think she likes me," Sora chuckled.

Link nodded before steadying his horse and then climbing onto her back. "Need help getting on?" he asked Sora. "Epona can carry two people."

Being a bit shorter than Link, Sora nodded. "Yeah, give me a hand." The warrior held out his hand and pulled Sora up. "This is my first time on a horse," he told Link.

"Just relax, I'll take care of steering her," Link said before letting out a sharp yell and lightly kicking Epona's sides, and the horse started walking out of the spring.

It didn't take long for them to reach the quaint village. It seemed oddly quiet, though, as Link and Sora dismounted near the entrance. "Where is everyone?" the hero muttered. "Hello!" he called.

"Link? Link's back!" a voice shouted, causing Sora to glance around for the source. Up on the roof of one of the houses were two boys who looked about nine or ten years old, one with messy brown hair and another with straight blonde hair. The blonde had a wooden shield and a short sword on his back.

Link looked up. "What the - ? How did you two get up there?!"

"We're keeping watch for any more of those black things!" the brunette shouted back.

"Who's your friend?" the blonde asked.

"I'll introduce you in a minute!" Link answered. "Jump, I'll catch you!" he said as he held out his arms. "Sora, be prepared to catch one of them."

"Got it!" Sora said as he positioned himself next to Link. The brown-haired boy leapt off the roof and Sora caught him, while Link caught the blonde boy.

"Honestly, it's dangerous up there," Link scolded the boys. "Where are Malo and the girls?"

"They're in the shop," the blonde answered before turning to face Sora. "My name is Colin, and that's Talo," he said, jerking his thumb at the other boy.

"It's nice to meet you," Sora replied. "I'm Sora."

"Sora, huh? Cool name," Talo commented.

"Anyway Link, why don't you come inside?" Colin offered. "Ilia's been real worried about you since you disappeared!"

"Yeah, she'll be glad to see you!" Talo piped up.

Link's ears pricked up. "I think I will go inside," he said before going up to the shop with Sora right behind him. He tried opening the door, but it was locked.

Sora also tried, but couldn't get it to open. "Hey, let us in!" he shouted, knocking on the door.

"What's the password?" a soft voice asked from the other side.

"C'mon Malo, open up!" Talo said. "It's just us!"

"Give me the password, and I'll let you in," the voice replied, resulting in a frustrated growl from Talo.

Sora couldn't help snickering. A password? He decided to give it a try. "Uh, Zelda sent me?"

"Nope," the voice responded.

"Let me try," Link said. "Malo, it's Link. Will you please open the door?"

There was a pause, and then the sound of a lock being opened. The door opened just a little, and a small, baby-faced boy, most likely Malo, peeked out. "Come in," he said. "You forgot the password, didn't you?"

"I kept telling you, we didn't need one," Talo said as he walked in. "You know who we are!"

"Let it go, Talo," Colin said calmly.

Link and Sora followed the boys inside. Inside the small shop, Sora saw a girl who looked to be the same age as Talo and Colin, and a teenage girl with short, dirty blonde hair.

The younger girl's eyes widened and she tugged the older girl's arm. "Ilia, look! Link's back!" she exclaimed, pointing at the hero.

Upon seeing Link, Ilia stood up and ran over to him. "Link! Where were you? I was so worried!" she shouted, trying to look angry, but her eyes were tearing up a bit.

Link seemed taken aback by the outburst, but he placed a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"You were missing for two whole days!" the younger girl cried. "What happened?"

"Beth, Link and his friend just got here," Colin said. "Maybe we ought to let them rest a bit."

Beth sniffled and nodded.

Ilia looked at Link and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm sorry, too. These past couple of days have been difficult," she explained. Then she noticed the Keybearer. "Who's this?"

"I'm Sora. It's nice to meet you!" Sora said.

"I'm Ilia," the girl said with a kind smile. "Did you help Link come back?"

"Uh, kinda," Sora said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Somehow, this girl reminded him of Kairi.

"You both must be tired," Ilia said. "Just relax, and you can explain what happened later."

"By the way, Ilia, have you been taking care of Epona?" Link asked.

"Of course!" the dirty blonde answered. "Don't worry, Rusl accompanied me in case those things showed up again."

This made Link sigh with relief. "You're always taking care of her," he said with a smile.

"So Sora, where are you from?" Talo asked. "How did you get here? Are you a warrior?" And the boy kept bombarding Sora with questions until Malo tugged on his hair. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You heard Ilia, he needs to rest," Malo said softly.

"I'll try to answer your questions later, okay?" Sora told the boy as he sat down in a chair.

"We better take advantage of this while we can," Link said to Sora. "Tomorrow, we need to go into Faron Woods."

Sora nodded and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and eventually falling asleep.


	6. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for your reviews, guys! I really appreciate it! **

**Okay, I've kept you guys waiting, so here's Chapter 5! Please read, review and enjoy! ^^**

**P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

The next day, Sora and Link prepared to go into the Twilight once again. Link used whatever money he had to buy supplies from Beth's mother. At the edge of the village, Ilia and the children saw the two warriors off.

"Do you really have to go already?" Colin asked.

"Yeah, you just got back!" Talo piped up.

Link knelt down and looked at the boys. "I'm sorry boys, but there's something Sora and I have to do. Now you two take care of the others while I'm gone, alright?" Both boys nodded, their faces full of determination.

"Good luck," Colin said with a hopeful smile.

"Thanks, Colin," Link said.

Ilia stepped forward and held something out to Link. "Here, I found this after you disappeared."

"What is it?" Sora asked curiously.

"It's a horse call," Ilia explained. "It will allow Link to call Epona from a greater distance."

"I must have dropped it when I got hurt," the hero muttered as he put away the horse call. "Sorry, I really should take better care of it."

The blonde girl smiled. "It's fine, just don't lose it again. And Link…" She paused as she kissed Link on the cheek. "Be careful."

Link blushed from this display of affection, causing Sora to snicker and Beth to giggle while Talo made a face. The young hero ignored them and smiled back. "Don't worry, I will."

"C'mon, lover boy, let's get going," the Keybearer teased. Then he waved to the others. "Thanks for everything!"

After all the good-byes were said, Link and Sora got on Epona's back and started riding toward Faron Woods.

"Someone's certainly popular. So is Ilia your girlfriend?" Sora asked the obviously love-struck hero.

It took Link a couple of seconds to snap out of his daze. "Huh? Um… well, she and I have been close friends since we were children. And I kind of… like her, I just haven't told her yet," he answered, feeling pretty lucky that Sora couldn't see him blushing again. "What about you and Kairi?"

"Oh, I've known Kairi since we were five," Sora answered immediately. "She's my childhood friend, but we started dating about a month ago. We were going to share a paopu fruit before we found you."

"Paopu fruit? What's that?" Link inquired.

"It's a yellow star-shaped fruit that grows on Destiny Islands," Sora explained. "There's a legend that if two people share one, their destinies become intertwined. They become part of each other's lives forever."

"Wow, you must be pretty serious about her," Link commented. "And that item she gave you?"

"That was her good luck charm," the Keybearer said. "She always gives it to me when I have to leave the Islands, so I'll always come back to her."

"This is real sweet and all, but we're almost at Faron Woods," Midna's voice piped up before she appeared in front of them, slightly startling Epona.

"Whoa, girl!" Link commanded as he pulled on the reins, stopping the horse. "Midna! Don't do that, you'll scare Epona."

"You know darn well she can't go into the Twilight with you, so you ought to leave her here for now," Midna told Link, floating right up to his face.

The blonde sighed. "Well, there's no arguing that," he said as he dismounted. "I'll call you when it's safe, Epona." The horse gave Link one last nuzzle before he started walking away.

Sora stroked Epona's neck and smiled at her before following Link toward the wall of Twilight. Once they reached it, Sora looked up at the wall. "How are we gonna get past this?"

"Leave that to me," Midna said before disappearing into the wall. Seconds later, an orange hand came out, grabbed the two warriors and pulled them through the wall, causing Sora to let out a surprised yell.

Once they were in, Sora took a few seconds to catch his breath before he glanced around at the odd glow covering the forest. He then glared at Midna. "That scared me! Mind giving fair warning next –" But Sora was cut off when he felt the pain in the chest. He squeezed his eyes shut as he clutched his chest and felt his body grow cold again. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his AntiForm. "Oh, great," he grumbled in his now-distorted voice.

"Sorry, no way around it," Midna said with a shrug. "The only way for you to enter the Twilight is if someone from the Twilight Realm – that'd be me – brings you in." She then floated over to Link, who had just finished his transformation into Wolf Link, and sat on his back. "Now let's hurry and get to Faron. He's the second Spirit of Light, and he has the vessel we can use to store his light until we can return it to him." The imp kicked Wolf Link's sides, and he took off with AntiSora doing his best to keep up.

As they approached the spring, AntiSora could hear a strange cry. Just before they reached it, several white creatures appeared in front of them. "Nobodies?! They're here, too?" AntiSora exclaimed in surprise. To be precise, they were the kind of Nobody called Dusks.

"Slick little buggers, aren't they?" Midna commented as one of the Dusks dodged Wolf Link's charge. "This is getting us nowhere fast. Shall we try that trick on them, Link?"

"What trick?" AntiSora asked while dodging a Dusk's attack.

"You'll see. Stand back if you don't wanna get caught in it!" Midna warned as she created a field of dark energy around her and Link. AntiSora was just barely out of range, and most of the Nobodies were caught inside, unable to move thanks to a crackling orange energy. Wolf Link then lunged at the enemies with great speed, striking one after the other until they were all defeated.

AntiSora took care of the last two Nobodies before rejoining his companions. "That was amazing!"

"Oh, it was nothing," Midna said with a wave of her hand. "We used that all the time to deal with Shadow Beasts way back when."

"Sounds like you guys have quite a few stories to tell," AntiSora commented.

"You're one to talk," the Twilight Princess remarked. "You know something about these… Nobodies, right?"

"I'll explain later, I promise," he said as they walked into the spring, where a dim sphere of light was floating over the water.

"…light stolen… find the white creatures…" a faint voice told them. "Take this… collect the Tears of Light…" Suddenly, a bead-like container appeared, floated down and landed in AntiSora's hands. Its warmth comforted the transformed Keybearer.

Midna hovered over AntiSora's shoulder to take a look. "Oh yeah, it's all coming back to me now. Although last time, we got the Tears of Light from Shadow Bugs, not Nobodies."

"Tears of Light?" the boy asked, tilting his head.

"Parts of Faron's light that those things have taken," the imp explained as they left the spring. "Defeat the creature carrying a Tear, and we can retrieve it. We'll need Link's nose for this one. Think you're up for it?"

Wolf Link barked in response before sniffing the Vessel of Light. Seconds later, he took off with AntiSora trying to keep up.

…

It took them awhile, but they managed to track down and destroy all but one particularly annoying Dusk. "Argh, this is ridiculous!" Midna exclaimed, with Wolf Link growling in frustration.

Finally, AntiSora managed to corner it and pounced on it, releasing the Tear of Light and collecting it in the Vessel. "Gotcha," he muttered, a slightly sinister grin on his face.

"Hey Sharptooth, snap out of it," Midna piped up. "We need to get the Vessel back to Faron Spring."

"Huh? Right, let's go," AntiSora replied, shaking that strange feeling from his mind. For some reason it seemed the longer he was in this form, the harder it was for him to keep his sanity in check.

When they reached the spring, AntiSora placed the Vessel into the spring, and it didn't take long for the Twilight to disappear. The boy closed his eyes as warmth spread throughout his body, and when he opened them, he was back in his true form.

Looking to his left, Sora watched as Wolf Link transformed at a slightly faster rate than last time until finally, he became human once again. "Phew… finally back on two legs," Link said as he stood up. "How do you feel, Sora?"

"Much better," Sora answered with a smile. "How bout you? That looked a little easier than last time."

Shaking his head, the hero replied, "The transformation may be faster, but it's still painful. I'm okay now, I just need to get used to it again." Suddenly, a bright light shown and the orb of light they saw before appeared once again, this time with a shining monkey-like creature curled around it. "Faron, are you alright?" Link asked.

It took a few seconds before the spirit answered. "O brave youth… I thank you for restoring my light again. And I see you have a Keybearer with you."

"How did you know that?" Sora asked in surprise.

"A strong light resides in your heart, similar to the Hero of the Twilight, but also different," Faron explained. "But be warned… there is also darkness within you. Take great care that it does not consume you."

Sora nodded solemnly, remembering all too well what could happen. "I will."

Then Link spoke up again. "I don't understand… why would Sora have darkness in his heart? I just know he's a good person!"

Faron slowly shook his head. "You seem to forget, brave youth… There is darkness within every heart, even your own. Remember this and keep a close eye on your companion."

"He's right, you know," Midna piped up. "I only know of a few people whose hearts are completely pure. That girl from the island, for instance."

Sora knew immediately that she was talking about Kairi, who was a Princess of Heart. "Don't worry Link. I'll keep whatever darkness is in my heart under control."

Feeling somewhat relieved, Link smiled at the Keybearer.

"Then I shall take my leave," Faron said. "Restore the light of my brethren… May the gods watch over you." And with that, the spirit disappeared into the spring.

Finally, Midna turned to Sora. "So, you gonna explain those Nobodies now?"

Nodding, Sora sat down at the edge of the spring, and Link joined him. "Nobodies are born when someone's heart is consumed by darkness… in other words, when a person becomes a Heartless, their body and soul get left behind. But only those who had a strong will in their original forms can continue on as a Nobody. The ones with the strongest will can even remain in human form, and can even control lesser Nobodies."

"You're kidding…" Link muttered. "Do you think somebody was controlling those Dusks?"

"It's very possible," the Keybearer answered. "As far as I know, Dusks don't act on their own, they have to be given orders. And I'll bet whoever it is is also responsible for the Heartless." After finishing his explanation, Sora silently wondered if he should tell them that at one time, he himself had a Nobody, but decided against it.

Suddenly, Midna's eyes widened. "What the… I'm sensing a great darkness coming from the old Forest Temple!"

"What?! I thought we cleared that temple before!" Link exclaimed, leaping to his feet. "Come on Sora, let's get moving!"

"O-Okay!" Sora said, running to keep up with the young hero. Whatever was happening at the Temple, they had to deal with it fast!


	7. Chapter 6

**Apologies folks, I had to go through the Forest Temple again in order to write this chapter. As usual, please read, review and enjoy! ^^**

**P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts and Legend of Zelda.**

It didn't take long for Sora, Link and Midna to reach the entrance to the Forest Temple, which was located in an old tree stump. "This is it," Link said before noticing that the door was already open. "Did someone get here before we did?"

"Guess we're gonna find out," Sora said as he prepared to go through the doorway.

The group walked inside and marveled at the surroundings: wooden walls covered with moss and vines with another wooden door leading further into the temple. But before they moved on, Midna came out of Link's shadow and moved into Sora's. "Now this temple is a bit more complicated than I'm sure you're used to. You'd better stay close, and leave any problem solving to Link, since he's already gone through this place."

"It's been a whole year, Midna. It's not like I memorized the temple's layout," the hero said. "That reminds me; have you got all my things? I've been meaning to ask you about that."

"That depends. What do you need?" she asked.

Link thought for a minute, trying to remember what he used to get through the temple the last time. "Hmm… I'll need my lantern, my slingshot, and my Gale Boomerang, please."

"Uh, about that…" Midna paused before speaking again. "You see, right about the time you… fell unconscious, I took the rest of your weapons and managed to send them back to their original places. I felt it was the best way to ensure they didn't fall into the hands of the Heartless."

"Are you serious?!" Link exclaimed. "All my weapons… the Gale Boomerang, the Bombs, the Hero's Bow… they're all gone?!"

"Hey! At least I left the sword and shield!" Midna said. "I couldn't have you completely helpless when you woke up."

"Just how many weapons did you have?" Sora asked, amazed that Link was able to use such a variety of weaponry.

"A lot," the blonde answered before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I guess that means we'll have to go through the temple, find Ook and get the Gale Boomerang back from him."

"See? Your memory's not so bad!" Midna said with a grin. "You're right in assuming that the Boomerang went back to Ook."

"But you at least have the lantern and slingshot, right?" Sora asked.

"Slingshot yes, lantern yes… oil no," the imp replied. "Sorry Link, sounds like you'll need to get your fire elsewhere."

Suddenly, Sora got an idea. "Wait… you need fire to get through the temple?"

"Yes, why?" Link asked, wondering where the keybearer was going with this.

"I didn't mention this before, but I can use magic, and one of my spells is Fire," the brunette explained. "I can use it to get us through the temple!"

Link's eyes lit up at this revelation. "That's perfect! In that case, I'll just have the slingshot, Midna."

"Will do!" Midna said cheerfully before producing a small slingshot and ammo bag and tossing them to Link, who caught them before securing them to his belt. She then disappeared into Link's shadow once again.

The two males moved to a large room with a wooden bridge that led to a platform. On the platform were four lamps, which for some reason were already lit. "Someone's ahead of us, alright," Link said. "It's all coming back to me; last time, I lit these lamps so I could get across." As he spoke, he gestured to some wooden steps leading to another door.

Suddenly, something landed on Sora's back with a loud screech, pulling at his hair and scratching him like crazy. "Ow! Hey! What's going- Ouch! Get offa me!"

"Hey, cut that out!" Link shouted, and suddenly the attack stopped. A brown monkey with a flower tucked behind her ear was clinging to Sora's head. The hero smiled when he recognized the animal. "You're the monkey who helped me before. Do you remember me?" The monkey's eyes lit up and suddenly, she leapt from the keybearer to the hero, giving him a hug and causing him to chuckle.

"Another friend of yours?" Sora asked in a slightly irritated tone.

"This monkey and her pals also helped me get through the temple," Link explained. "Ook the baboon is their boss. Speaking of whom, can you take me to him?" In response to the question, the monkey started chattering and making gestures that the hero couldn't quite understand.

Midna popped out of her hiding place. "Hmm, it sounds like she's saying she can't get to Ook because an intruder has imprisoned him in the temple," she explained. "That must be whoever came in ahead of us."

"Well then, let's go pay this intruder a visit," Sora said before he, Link and the monkey ran through the door.

…

As they explored the temple, it seemed that Ook wasn't the only one imprisoned; Sora and Link found three other monkeys in cages. Luckily, Sora's Keyblade could open the locks, and the monkeys were able to help them get to the other side of a chasm.

Sora laughed as he swung across to the other side. "Wow, that's fun!"

"Glad you're enjoying yourself," Link laughed as the two males approached yet another wooden door. "This is where I ran into Ook before… I hope he's okay."

Once they were inside, the door slammed behind them and was suddenly barred, preventing their escape. "What the-? Is this supposed to happen, Link?!"

"Unfortunately, yes," the hero said. "And we won't be able to go back until we find the boomerang."

"Oh, is that how it works?" a male voice suddenly said, startling the two. "Wish someone'd told me that sooner." They looked to see a man walk out from behind a pillar. He was thin with short, light brown hair, wearing a blue vest and trousers with a white shirt. A sash with a dagger tied to it was wrapped around his waist, and a blue bandana was tied around his head. "I would've run out in the short time the door was open, but I guess I wasn't fast enough."

"So it was you who broke in and imprisoned the monkeys!" Sora accused, pointing the Keyblade right at the man.

"Guilty!" the man said with a shrug before eying the Keyblade. "Nice weapon. Hope you don't mind me borrowing it?" He then pulled a boomerang from behind him and threw it right at Sora!

Managing to roll out of the way, Sora called, "Link, isn't that your boomerang?"

"Yeah, he must have stolen it from Ook," Link said, drawing his sword.

The thief threw the boomerang again, this time at Link, who also rolled away. "Hold still, would ya!" he shouted before dashing in and attacking the hero with his dagger this time.

Link quickly managed to put up his shield to deflect the blow, but as he did so, he noticed something on the thief's back: a large bug. _That's the same kind of bug that made Ook go nuts before!_ he thought. "Sora, he's being controlled!"

"You know, you really should have your wallet in a less obvious place," the thief commented, holding up a small bag that he had managed to swipe from Link, much to the hero's surprise.

Suddenly, Sora slammed into the man, making him drop the wallet and hit a pillar, stunning him for a minute. "How are we gonna snap him out of it?"

"You keep him busy, I'll try to knock the bug off with my slingshot," Link told him, quickly picking up his wallet and putting it away before taking his slingshot off his belt.

Nodding, the boy told him, "Good luck!" before running at the man again.

While Sora continued fighting the thief, Link loaded a deku nut into the slingshot and pulled it back, aiming it right at the thief. "Come on, hold still…"

The man ran at Sora and scored a hit, knocking the boy back a bit. Leaping backwards, he then held up the good luck charm he swiped. "Huh? What's this thing?"

Link smiled when he realized that the thief had stopped moving. He shot off the nut, scoring a direct hit on the bug and causing it to release its grip on the man.

Sora then rushed in and hit the man with the Keyblade one last time, sending him to the ground. "I'll take that," he said, kneeling down and taking Kairi's charm out of the man's hand. "Nice shot, Link!"

"Thanks," the hero said before walking over to the dropped boomerang. It then levitated and created a small twister, keeping itself suspended in the air.

"I am the Fairy of Winds who resides in this boomerang," a small voice said, coming from the boomerang. "Once again you have freed me from evil, and helped me regain my true power. Please… take it with you, use it to aid your quest, and may both my power and my blessing go with you." The boomerang then spun around the room before heading towards Link, who caught it expertly.

**You got the Gale Boomerang!**

"Okay, now I see why you call it the Gale Boomerang," Sora said before looking at the thief, who was now sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Oww, my head… what happened?" he groaned before opening his eyes and seeing the two warriors standing in front of him. He did a double-take when he saw Link. "Those clothes…!" He then quickly stood up. "You're Link, aren't you?"

Link didn't say anything, still regarding the man with suspicion. "And you are?"

"I'm Locke, newest member of the Resistance," the man said, bowing his head to the two. "Telma told me about you, but I'm glad to finally meet you."

"The Resistance?" Sora asked, looking over at Link.

"The Resistance was created to fight against Zant, who tried to take over both the Twilight Realm and the Realm of Light," the blonde explained. "I didn't realize they would take a thief in, though."

Locke's expression quickly changed to one of annoyance. "I'm not a thief! The appropriate term is 'treasure hunter.'"

"Uh-huh," Sora said, not convinced. "So what are you doing here?"

"And also, I thought the Resistance broke up after last year," Link added.

"A couple days ago, I was in Telma's Bar in Hyrule Castle Town when I overheard talk about strange black creatures in Hyrule. I asked Telma about it, and she told me that those things had been seen all over the place lately," Locke explained. "I asked her if there was anything I could do, and she said the Resistance needed to get back together. She trusted me, so she made me a member and asked me to pick up a man named Rusl in Ordon Village. I was on my way when I saw the Forest Temple. I thought I might as well take a look, but not long after I went in, everything went blank. Next thing I know, I'm waking up here with you guys."

"So you don't remember what just happened?" Sora asked.

"Not a thing," the man said, shaking his head. "Why, did I do something stupid?" After Link told him everything, Locke sighed. "Boy, do I feel like an idiot… I have an idea: As long as I'm here, I may as well go with you guys. I feel pretty bad locking up the monkeys, so the least I can do is let them go."

"Well, what do you think?" Lin asked Sora.

The young keybearer thought for a minute before making his decision. "You can come with us, but don't try to steal from us again."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Locke said with a grin. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

"With this," Link said, holding up the Gale Boomerang. He turned toward the door, and focused on a fan above the door. Winds drew toward the boomerang, and the hero threw it, creating a small twister which caused the fan to turn, removing the bars on the door.

"Sweet!" Sora exclaimed. "Now let's get going." And with that, the two warriors left the room with their new companion in tow.

**Author's note: For those of you unfamiliar with Locke, he first appeared in Final Fantasy VI as a playable character. Despite his status as a thief- er, treasure hunter, he really is kind-hearted, especially towards women. (In addition to my earlier disclaimer, I don't own Locke, either.)**

**If he were an actual boss in the game, the strategy against him is fairly straightforward: dodge his attacks as best you can until he pauses for a few seconds. This should give you enough time to stun him with the slingshot and get a couple of hits in.**

**Author's note 2: You'll notice that Locke made no mention of the Twilight in his story. That's because he would've been a spirit while most of Hyrule was covered, so he wasn't even aware that anything happened.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, chapter 7 is now up! As usual, please read, review and enjoy!**

**P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Zelda or Locke.**

It took quite a bit of dungeon crawling, but eventually the group managed to free all eight monkeys. "Still no sign of Ook," Link remarked.

"Is there any place in here that we didn't look?" Sora asked.

"There's a large room deep in the temple," the hero answered. "In that room, there was a large plant monster, cursed by the Twilight."

"But you took care of it, right?" Locke asked. "It shouldn't hurt to look in there."

"Don't be so sure about that," Midna's voice piped up before she herself appeared in front of Locke.

"Gah!" Locke exclaimed, jumping at the sight of the Twili imp. "What the heck?!"

"Oh sorry Locke, we didn't introduce Midna to you," Sora apologized.

"Uh, that's okay," Locke said, still glancing nervously at Midna. "Nice to meet you. I'm Locke."

"So I heard," she replied with a grin. "Anyway, I'm still sensing that darkness in this temple. For all we know, that monster could've been brought back somehow."

Link let out a sigh. "Great… Well, we should be fine as long as those Bomblings are still in there."

It didn't take them long to reach another large chasm. All eight monkeys they had rescued were waiting for them and quickly made a chain of monkeys for the group to swing across on.

Link went first, stepping up before making a running dash and leaping off the edge, catching the last monkey's hand before swinging across and landing safely on the other side.

Taking a deep breath, Sora psyched himself up a bit as he approached the monkey chain. Then he ran up and did just as the hero did before. "Whoo-hoo!" he shouted as he swung across the chasm. After he landed, he looked behind him. "C'mon, Locke! What are you waiting for?"

"J-Just give me a second!" he called back, looking a little nervous as he watched the monkeys swing back and forth. He knew that if he mistimed his jump, it was a long way down. Finally, he leapt off the edge. "WHOOOOOAA!" he yelled as the monkeys swung him to the other side, where he landed safely beside the other two. "Wow that was a rush!"

Midna couldn't help snickering from Link's shadow. "For a thief, you're not exactly the bravest, are you?"

"Treasure hunter," Locke corrected through clenched teeth. "And for your information, I'm plenty brave when I have to be… granted, that was the first time I swung on a chain of monkeys."

"Okay, I'll give you that one," the imp said with a shrug as the group approached a large door. The door had chains in front of it with a huge lock.

"Alright, here goes!" Summoning the Keyblade again, Sora held it out in front of him, sending a small beam of light into the keyhole and unlocking the door. "Yes!"

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Link asked the other two. When they both nodded, the hero opened the large door and the group charged in.

Once they had gotten through a short tunnel, the door slid shut behind them. They had ended up in a large room with several small waterfalls running into a small swamp. Link's heart started pounding: he remembered what had happened the last time he was in this room, and if Midna was correct, he was going to have to face that monster again.

The sounds of a baboon reached his ears and Link looked up at a platform to see Ook trapped in a cage. "There you are!" he exclaimed. "I was looking all over for you!"

Sora's eyes widened as the water turned purple and started to bubble. "Link, look out!" he shouted just before two large plant heads burst out of the water.

Locke backed up a few steps. "W-What _are_ those things?!"

Link's eyes narrowed at the sight of the monster. "Diababa… so Midna was right; this is the source of the darkness!" Noticing the nearby Bomblings, he said, "Sora, use the Keyblade to grab one of those Bombs!"

"Got it!" Sora said as he prepared his weapon.

**Gale Raid**

Using the Keyblade and Gale Boomerang, the two warriors threw their weapons to grab a Bomb, each one hitting one of the heads and causing them to sink back into the water.

Cocking an eyebrow, Locke commented, "…So that's it? Didn't seem so tough."

"It'll be back shortly, and it'll be much more deadly," Link warned. He then looked back at his companions. "Locke, can you get up to that platform?"

"Given enough time, yeah," the thief/treasure hunter answered. However as soon as he said that, the two heads came up again, this time attached to a much larger plant monster with a large yellow eye glaring at them all.

Having a good idea what Link had in mind, Sora shouted, "Locke, go get Ook! We'll take care of this thing!"

"Sora! This thing's weak spot is its eye!" Link shouted as he blocked one of the heads lunging at him. Now that the Bomblings were no longer an option, having been destroyed when the real monster showed itself, the two warriors would have to improvise in order to hit the weak spot.

Meanwhile, Locke pulled a grappling hook out of his bag and managed to grab hold of the platform, climbing up while the heroes kept Diababa busy. As soon as he reached the platform, Ook noticed him and started screeching at him. "Ah! Easy, boss," Locke said as he grabbed the bars of the cage to steady it. "I know you're mad, and I apologize. Just sit tight; I'll have you out before you can say banana!" Taking out a lock pick, he got right to work.

Link and Sora weren't having much luck getting to Diababa's eye; the two were flat on the ground just barely avoiding a spray of acid from the main head. Quickly getting up, Sora finally came up with something.

**Blazing Wind**

"Link!" The hero nodded in response and threw the Gale Boomerang. Sora shot off a Fire spell which hit the boomerang, causing an explosion of wind and fire that hit Diababa's main head.

The head shrieked before toppling onto the ground, its big yellow eye exposed. Taking advantage, Link drew his sword, leapt towards the monster and thrust his sword down onto the weak spot before flipping away. The monster writhed in pain before shriveling up, its eye falling out of its socket before exploding. The triumphant hero finally sheathed his sword with a flourish.

"Alright, we did it!" Sora cheered, holding up his hand for a high-five, which Link quickly returned.

Suddenly, Diababa's body exploded into particles of Twilight which suddenly seemed to go straight towards Link! The hero held up his shield, but Midna quickly appeared and absorbed the Twilight. "Relax, hero. It was going for me, not you!"

"Oh…" Link muttered sheepishly, a light blush tinging his cheeks.

"Hey, anybody would've thought it was after him!" Sora said, glaring at the Twilight Princess. "You're in his shadow, after all!"

Ignoring the keybearer, Midna seemed to realize something. "…This power… it's mine."

"What? What are you talking about, Midna?" Link asked.

Before the Twili imp could answer, Locke walked up to them. "Hate to interrupt, but I got Ook out of his cage and he just took off. Guess he's not one for conversation."

Link couldn't help chuckling a bit. "Nice work, Locke. Midna, can you get us out of here?"

"No problem! I'll explain everything once we're outside." And within seconds, Midna teleported all of them out of the Forest Temple.

Once they had regained their bearings, Sora turned to their new ally. "So what do you plan on doing now, Locke?"

"I'm gonna go ahead to Ordon Village," the thief answered. "I still need to find Rusl. After that, I might head back to Hyrule Castle Town… unless something else comes up, that is."

"Just try not to fall under someone's control again, alright?" Link said with a smile.

"I'll do my best!" Locke replied with a grin. "Well, good luck you guys!" And with that, the self-proclaimed treasure hunter left the two heroes behind.

Once Locke was gone, Link looked down at his shadow as Midna came out of it. "So Midna, what were you saying back in the temple? Is there something you're not telling us?"

Her expression turned serious. "Diababa was brought back using my power over the Twilight. That cloaked man must have sapped more of my power than I first thought. I can't even go back to my true form like this!"

"That's terrible!" Sora exclaimed. "Now we really have to find this guy."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" the Twilight Princess challenged, earning a glare from Sora. "Look, I want to find him as much as you do, but the most we can do right now is dispel the Twilight and restore my power."

Link's eyes widened. "You think other monsters could've been brought back?"

"It's more than likely," Midna said with a nod. "And if we defeat those monsters, some of my power will return. But one thing at a time, heroes. Next stop, Eldin Province!"

As the group left the Forest Temple behind them, Sora's thoughts drifted to his friends: Riku, still trapped in the Twilight by an unknown foe… and Kairi, still waiting for them to return.

…

A loud whistle caused Kairi to stir. "Hmm? It's morning already?" she mumbled, reaching out for her clock. Her eyes flew open when she realized that she was running late. "Oh no, I forgot to set my alarm!" she cried as she hopped out of her bed and rushed to get ready for school.

"Hey, Kairi! You awake?" a voice called, and Kairi looked out the window to see her three school friends Tidus, Selphie and Wakka.

"Guys? So that was you whistling, Tidus!" Kairi said with a smile. "I'll be down as soon as I can!"

"Okay, hurry up!" Tidus called back before Kairi closed the window. Sighing, he turned to the others. "It's not like her to sleep in like this."

"She's been pretty distracted lately," Selphie commented. "I'll bet she misses Sora. He and Riku left the island again, right?"

"Whoa, hold your chocobos!" Wakka said, placing hands on his friends' shoulders. "If something's bothering her, she'll tell us when she's ready. So no more gossiping, ya?"

"Fine," Tidus and Selphie said simultaneously.

"? Hey guys, does that guy look familiar to you?" Tidus asked, pointing down the road where a tall man in a black hooded cloak was standing.

Selphie gulped at the sight of him. "I've definitely never seen him before. He's huge!"

"Doesn't look very friendly, though," Wakka muttered, already suspicious of the figure.

"Okay, I'm going in," Tidus said, cracking his knuckles. "You guys back me up." The confident athlete walked right up to the hooded figure. "Um, can I help you?"

The figure turned in the boy's direction. "I'm looking for the princess of this world," he replied, speaking in a low gravelly voice that made Tidus's skin crawl.

_What is he talking about?_ the blonde thought as he regained his composure. "Sorry, no princess here. You've got the wrong island."

The figure responded by grabbing Tidus around the neck and lifting him off the ground. "Do not lie to me. I know that a Princess of Heart resides on this island!"

Struggling to breathe, Tidus tried in vain to pry the figure's hand off his neck. _Who is this guy?! He's bad news…_

Suddenly, a Blitz Ball hit the figure on the side of his head before bouncing back to Wakka's hand. "Drop him!" the older boy shouted as Selphie readied her nunchucks.

Under his hood, the figure grinned evilly before throwing the helpless Tidus towards his friends, sending all three of them tumbling to the ground.

After a short coughing fit, Tidus took some much-needed deep breaths before glaring at Wakka. "Drop him?!" The older boy shrugged with a guilty smile before realizing that the hooded figure was coming closer, a long silver sword now in his hand.

"This is not good!" Selphie said as she scrambled to her feet.

At that moment, Kairi dashed out of her house. Seeing her friends in danger, she instinctively shouted, "Leave them alone!"

"Kairi, get out of here! This guy's crazy!" Tidus shouted.

The figure immediately turned towards Kairi, and grinned once again. "Well well… it seems you know the princess very well indeed!"


	9. Chapter 8

**Apologies for the encounterus interruptus last time, readers! Here is chapter 8, and as usual please read, review and enjoy! ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

The hooded figure began to approach Kairi, ignoring the other three teenagers. "I've been searching for you for quite some time, your highness."

Gulping, Kairi kept up her brave face as she prepared to summon her own Keyblade. But before she could do so, a Corridor of Darkness appeared behind her. "What?!" she exclaimed before something flew past her.

The figure suddenly hissed in pain as three needles imbedded themselves in his sword arm. Kairi whirled around to see a woman come out of the Corridor. She appeared to be some kind of ninja, the bottom half of her face hidden by a white scarf and her long blonde hair pulled back. "Come with me, hurry!" she said as she grabbed Kairi's hand and pulled her into the Corridor, which immediately closed behind them.

Wakka breathed a sigh of relief. "She got away…"

"But who was that?" Selphie wondered.

"Uh guys, we've got bigger problems!" Tidus pointed out as the figure had turned back to them.

"…So, another has appeared," the hooded man muttered. "I have no time to waste with you insects. But should you interfere again, I will not be as merciful!" He then opened a Corridor of Darkness and vanished from the island.

The three friends stared at where the figure had disappeared. "I hope Kairi is okay…" Selphie muttered to herself, her voice full of concern.

...

Kairi and her mysterious rescuer raced through the darkness. "I am taking you to a place where you will be safe. Once we reach there, however, you will not see me," the woman told her.

"Wait, what? Just who are you?" the redhead asked. "And where are you taking me?!"

"Kakariko Village," the ninja answered simply. "We are almost there; I am afraid we must part ways. Stay safe."

"Hey, wait!" Kairi called out as they approached the light.

The young girl came out of the Corridor of Darkness and entered a small house. "Ahh! They're in the house!" a male voice cried out, and Kairi turned with a startled cry to see a man who quickly flipped down a metal face shield. "…Hmm? A girl?" he muttered, peeking out from under the face shield.

"Is everything alright, Barnes?" another voice asked as a man with long black hair, tanned skin and shaman's robes walked in. "Who might you be, young lady?" he inquired, giving Kairi a curious look. A young girl with a similar appearance came in close behind him.

Before she gave a response, Kairi glanced around the room for her rescuer, but she was nowhere in sight. "…I'm Kairi. Um, you didn't see a ninja woman come through here, did you?" she asked, not really sure what else to say.

…

Link and Sora raced across Hyrule Field on Epona, taking out the occasional Heartless as they went. "I can't wait till I get my bow back," Link commented as he swung his sword at an attacking Heartless on his left.

"I got this one!" Sora shouted before zapping an incoming Soldier with a Thunder spell.

They finally reached the wall of Twilight and Epona stopped in front of it. "Get to a safe place, girl," Link commanded as he and Sora dismounted, and the horse took off.

Sora gazed up at the wall. "Well, I'm ready whenever you are Midna."

"Very well, then," Midna said as she came out of Link's shadow and disappeared into the wall. Seconds later, the orange hand pulled the two heroes through the wall and into the Twilight.

Seconds after entering the Twilight, the two of them shifted into their respective forms. "How far away is Eldin Spring?" AntiSora asked.

"Not far, just across the bridge and outside Kakariko Village," Midna answered before kicking Wolf Link's sides, causing the beast to take off.

They were almost at the spring when several Dusks blocked their path. AntiSora slashed at one with his claws while Wolf Link and Midna took out three at once. "Boy, these things are a nuisance!" Midna commented. "Just how many are there?"

"Just keep fighting!" the transformed Keybearer shouted before pinning down a Dusk and slashing it where its face would have been, destroying it.

AntiSora was so distracted he didn't see a Dusk sneaking up behind him. Wolf Link let out a warning bark, but suddenly there was a puff of smoke and a short, curved sword stabbed the Dusk. As the smoke cleared, a young ninja woman appeared and the heroes could only watch as she quickly dispatched the remaining Nobodies using a combination of her sword and throwing needles.

"Whoa…" AntiSora breathed in amazement, having calmed down by that point.

The woman turned to Wolf Link. "So at last we meet, Hero of the Twilight." The beast's ears pricked up in surprise before letting out a suspicious growl.

"Huh? And who might you be?" Midna asked, floating up the woman's face. "You feel similar to those Nobodies, but stronger and also different."

"I am Sheik, protector of Kakariko Village," the ninja answered. "And to be frank, I myself am a Nobody as you suggest."

"You're a Nobody?!" AntiSora exclaimed. It certainly explained why she wasn't affected by the Twilight.

Nodding, Sheik went on, "Yes, however I have no memories of my past life. And I regret to say that I was away for a while and I allowed this place to be taken over by the Twilight. Follow me, I'll take you to Eldin." She then turned and led the heroes to the spring.

"Think we can trust her?" Midna whispered to AntiSora.

"Well, not all the Nobodies I've met are bad," he answered. "And she did help us out back there, so I think we can… although I have to wonder where she was when this happened."

"You two aren't being very discreet," Sheik said suddenly, startling both Midna and AntiSora.

They soon reached the spring, where a dim sphere of light was floating above the water. "… Sheik… you returned… with the hero…"

"Yes, along with the Twilight Princess and a foreigner," the woman replied as she bowed before the weakened spirit. "I am sorry that I was unable to prevent this."

"Young heroes… look for… my light…" Eldin said softly. "Gather the light stolen by the white creatures… with this…" A Vessel of Light appeared before AntiSora and landed in his outstretched hands.

Sheik faced the group. "This was my fault. If I had been here, Eldin's light would not have been stolen. If you would, please allow me to help locate the Tears of Light."

"I'm leaving this decision to Sora," Midna said, placing her hands behind her head. "He's the Nobody expert here."

"I see. You do not trust me," the Nobody said, folding her arms before turning to AntiSora. "Sora, was it? I am a Nobody, but I am on the side of good. May I accompany you?"

AntiSora thought for a minute. Sheik backed them up when it counted, and she seemed loyal to Eldin; what more proof did he need? "Alright Sheik, you can come with us."

"I am truly grateful to hear that," she said with a glint in her red eyes, as if she was smiling under her scarf. "Lead the way, hero."

Without hesitation, Wolf Link began sniffing the air and seconds later took off running with AntiSora and Sheik close behind. The first place they started their search was the village right by Eldin Spring. They came to one house in particular and Sheik's eyes widened. "This is Renado's house. I was hoping there would be no Nobodies here."

"Who's Renado?" AntiSora asked curiously.

"He is the leader and shaman of Kakariko Village, and the man who took me in," she explained. "If we search this house, we must be careful so he and the others are not harmed."

"Oh don't you worry about that!" Midna said as she helped Wolf Link climb to the roof. "We'll be quiet as a – uh-oh." As soon as she finished talking, Wolf Link crashed through the roof with a startled yelp.

Sheik gave herself a facepalm. "I just fixed that hole…"

AntiSora snickered at her remark, though he once again silenced himself when he noticed his somewhat sinister laugh. "C'mon, we should go see if he's okay." Nodding, Sheik led the Keybearer up to the roof before both of them dropped through the hole made by Wolf Link.

Looking around, AntiSora could see his bestial friend, having recovered from the fall, as well as four spirits floating in the room. He could hear voices, one voice in particular sounding familiar. "Wait a minute… I know that voice." Closing his eyes, AntiSora focused his hearing and he could now hear very clearly a voice he knew anywhere. "Kairi!"

"Shh!" Midna said sharply, suddenly appearing next to him. "Listen."

The Keybearer focused even harder and he could now barely see outlines of the spirits inside the house. He could see Kairi sitting with a man and young girl while another man was peeking out the window.

"I see… So her name is Sheik," Kairi was saying. "Could you tell me more about her, Renado?"

"She is a bit of a mystery," Renado began. "Sheik came among us less than a year ago with no memory of who she was. In return for staying here, she constantly patrols the village and protects it from any stray monsters."

"Until now, that is!" the other man cut in, turning away from the window as he spoke. "She took off days ago and never came back, left us wide open for those creatures! I told you she couldn't be trusted; I'll bet she's long gone by now!" Sheik lowered her head, her blonde bangs hiding her eyes, but AntiSora guessed that she felt a little upset by the man's obvious mistrust.

"Barnes, enough!" Renado shouted, and the other man immediately shut up and lowered his face shield. "You will have to excuse him."

After a few seconds, Kairi looked at Barnes. "I trust Sheik. Whatever her reason for coming to my home, she saved me from danger. Wherever she is, I hope she's alright." She then sighed and leaned back in her seat. "I hope Sora and Riku are safe, too… I wonder where they are right now…"

There was a slight pang in AntiSora's heart at those words. He had almost forgotten that Kairi couldn't see or hear him, despite the fact that he was right in front of her, and therefore he couldn't tell her that he was alright. _Kairi... I wish I could talk to you right now..._

"Are they friends of yours?" the young girl asked, clearly fascinated by the strangely-dressed redhead.

"Yes. Well, Riku is just a friend but Sora is… my boyfriend," Kairi answered, her cheeks blushing. "I guess I shouldn't worry too much about him. As long as he holds my good luck charm, I believe he'll come back to me safely."

Renado smiled. "Sora is lucky to have someone as loyal as you. Treasure your relationship."

"I will," the girl said with a smile. "Thank you, Renado."

Nothing was said between the party at first, but finally Sheik spoke up. "She really cares about you. You truly are a lucky person."

AntiSora then turned to the woman. "Sheik, what did Kairi mean when she said you saved her? What happened on the island?"

"I will explain in due time," she answered cryptically. "For now, we must find those Dusks. Link, have you found any?"

Wolf Link woofed in response, his nose pointing toward an owl statue. "Ah yes, the cellar under this statue," Midna remembered. "If I recall correctly, we have to light the candles in order to find the entrance. Sora, if you'll do the honors?"

"I hate to break it to you Midna, but I can't use magic in this form," AntiSora told her.

"What?! Just what kind of form is this, anyway?" Midna exclaimed.

Before AntiSora could retort, the statue suddenly moved to the side, revealing a hole in the ground leading to the cellar. "Shall we?" Sheik said, dropping down from a stairwell and snuffing out a flaming stick. Apparently she had lit the candles while AntiSora and Midna were talking. The other three silently fell through the hole after the blonde woman.

Sure enough, they found three Dusks in the cellar. AntiSora leapt forward and slashed one of the creatures in two while Wolf Link bit down on another. Sheik threw a chain at the last Dusk which wrapped around it before she gave a sharp tug, tightening the chain and destroying its prisoner. "Alright, let's keep moving!" Midna said as the party exited the cellar into a graveyard and kept up the search.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, I'm sooo sorry I took so long! There has been a lot of stuff going on, so thank you so much for being patient with me. (Also the Internet has proved to be a dangerous distraction to a writer! Well, at least one writer…) As usual, please read, review and enjoy!**

**P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

AntiSora, Wolf Link, Midna and Sheik had searched all over the village, but still had not found all the Tears of Light. "Where else can we look?" AntiSora asked.

"Well there is the Goron territory," Sheik suggested. "Maybe some of the Dusks ended up there."

"It's possible," Midna agreed. "I remember finding some of the Tears in that area last year, so there's a good chance."

"Um, what's a Goron?" the confused Keybearer inquired.

"The Gorons are allies of Kakariko Village," Sheik explained. "Dwellers of the mountain, they are usually a friendly and peaceful people, but do not cross them for they are much stronger than humans."

"Then it's a good thing you're not human, eh Sheik?" Midna teased as the group headed for a mountain pass.

The young woman continued to speak as she led them. "If you will pardon my plain speaking your highness, the Gorons are my friends. I would never attack them without a good reason."

The imp let out a sigh. "You don't have to call me that, you know. Just Midna is fine."

"Truly?" Sheik asked, her red eyes widening for a second. "As you wish."

As the group walked up the pass, AntiSora noticed another spirit nearby. Focusing, he could make out a very tall and large humanoid creature with rocky orange skin. Lighter-colored rocks lined the creature's head and back, and there were tribal markings on his skin. AntiSora assumed that it was one of the Gorons Sheik was talking about.

A loud bark caught his attention, and he quickly moved to catch up with the others. "Hee hee, getting distracted are we?" Midna asked, playfully poking the teen's shoulder.

"Oh shut up," AntiSora mumbled.

Soon they came across more Nobodies and finally collected the last Tears of Light. "Now let us make haste, Eldin cannot wait much longer," Sheik told the others.

"Relax, I'll get us there in a flash," Midna said reassuringly before teleporting the group back to Eldin Spring.

When they arrived, AntiSora gently nudged Sheik. "You should do this," he said, handing her the Vessel of Light.

"Thank you," she told him before placing the vessel in the water, returning light to Eldin Province.

Sora let out a sigh of relief as the blackness faded from his skin and clothes, and Link shakily stood up after reverting to his true form. Sheik of course remained unchanged, and Midna had already ducked into Link's shadow.

The three of them watched as a shining hawk-like spirit appeared before them, holding an orb of light in his talons. "Young heroes, I thank you for returning my light to me."

"We're just happy you're alright, Eldin," Link told the spirit. "But tell me: Are the Gorons safe?"

"We saw the villagers, but according to Midna we didn't get very far into the Goron territory," Sora added.

The spirit's head lowered slightly. "I am afraid evil has tainted their sacred grounds once again. You and your companions must cleanse them." He then looked at the female Nobody. "Sheik, will you aid them in dispelling the shadows?"

"It would be my honor, Eldin," Sheik answered promptly, dropping to one knee. And with that, Eldin disappeared. Standing up again, the young woman said, "We should check on the villagers."

"Wait a minute!" Link piped up, stopping Sheik in her tracks. "Sheik, how did you recognize me? Not many people know that I turn into a beast in the Twilight."

"You recognized me, as well," Midna added, coming out of Link's shadow.

The woman hesitated, but then said, "When I saw you fighting the Dusks, images flashed in my mind. It was brief, but… I believe seeing you two must have triggered some of my memories."

"Maybe the other you met Link and Midna before?" Sora suggested.

"It's possible, but I really don't recall many people knowing about me, either," Midna said, checking her nails as she spoke. "You'll have to do better than that."

"I was not finished," Sheik told the Twili imp before turning to Link again. "You bore the symbol of the Triforce on your front left paw. That alone was proof of your identity."

"Oh, you mean that mark on his left hand?" Sora inquired.

The young hero's ears pricked up. "Huh? When did you see it, Sora?"

"When we found you on the island, we had to remove any armor you were wearing, and that included the guard on your forearm," the brunette explained. "It was actually Riku who saw it first, and then we found the same symbol on your shield. Honestly we thought it might've been a tattoo or something, but… that's called a 'Triforce'?"

"Yes," Link nodded before removing the guard, showing the Triforce mark. "To put it simply, the Triforce was left behind by the three goddesses who created Hyrule. Each of the triangles means something different: power, wisdom and courage." As he spoke, he pointed to the corresponding triangles that made up the mark. "I've had this mark for as long as I can remember, and for the longest time I didn't know why."

"It was because he was chosen by the gods to become a hero," Midna clarified. "As the Hero of the Twilight, Link bears the Triforce of Courage."

"What about the other two?" Sora inquired, tilting his head.

Midna pretended to think for a minute before finally saying, "I'll let you figure that out for yourself. Well, see you later!"

"Wha- Hey!" the Keybearer protested, but the imp had already gone back into Link's shadow.

Link couldn't help chuckling a little bit. "Sorry Sora, that's just how she is. Even when I first met her, she enjoyed messing with people. But she really is a good person."

"Hey, look who it is!" a loud voice suddenly shouted, catching the group's attention. They saw Barnes dash over to them, followed by Renado, his daughter and Kairi. "So you finally decide to show up, eh Sheik?" Barnes said, ready to chew her out. "We could've used you when those things attacked the village!"

"Leave her alone, Barnes," Renado warned, causing the irritated man to reluctantly back off. Sheik said nothing in her defense, and hadn't even blinked at the man's outburst.

Kairi spotted Sora and immediately ran over to him. "Sora! You're alright!" she cried as she hugged him.

Acting pleasantly surprised, the brunette quickly returned the embrace. "Ha ha, yeah I'm okay, Kairi. But what are you doing here?" he asked, pretending not to know in order to avoid confusion.

Once things had calmed down, Link properly greeted Renado. "It's good to see you again, sir. And how are you, Luda?" he asked, looking at the younger girl.

"I'm well, thanks," Luda answered with a smile.

Grinning back, the hero replied, "Good to hear. Oh! I'd like you to meet Sora." As he spoke, Link gently pulled the Keybearer over to the shaman. "Sora, this is Renado and his daughter Luda."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Sora said with a bow of his head, trying to be respectful.

"We are well met," Renado replied with a bow of his own. "Kairi has told us quite a bit about you."

"It was all good, don't worry!" Kairi reassured, patting her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Please come inside, I'm sure you're tired from your journey," the shaman offered, gesturing towards his house.

Before either Sora or Link could say anything, Sheik spoke up. "My apologies Renado, but we must go to the Goron territory as soon as possible."

Renado turned to the young woman. "No Sheik, I insist you stay the night at least. It will be dark soon, and also I am quite curious about your sudden disappearance."

Sheik closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. She could not argue with Renado. "Very well, I suppose I do owe you an explanation. Link, Sora, we shall rest tonight."

"Since when was she in charge?" Sora whispered to Link, who simply shrugged in response.

A sudden realization came to Kairi. "Speaking of explanations, where's Riku? I thought he was with you."

Sora winced at the mention of his friend's name. "I'll tell you once we're inside."

…

Once they were settled into Renado's house, Sora explained everything to Kairi as best he could. "I see… so Riku is still trapped in this… Twilight," the redhead muttered, trying to take everything in. Smiling a little, she continued, "I'm sure he'll be alright. Riku's strong and he's dealt with a lot worse than this, right?"

"Heh, he sure has," Sora said in agreement. "We just have to trust him." Sensing her unease, he then gently pulled Kairi into his arms, stroking her hair in order to comfort his worried girlfriend.

Suddenly, Renado, Link and Sheik walked in, causing the young couple to separate. "Sorry to interrupt, but Sheik's ready to talk," Link told them.

"First of all, I wish to apologize for leaving on such short notice," Sheik began, bowing her head toward Renado and Luda.

"What happened?" the black-haired girl inquired.

"As many of you know, I have no memories of my past," the female Nobody continued. "The only things I know are my skills, that I can communicate with spirits, and that I have somehow met Link before. One of my skills is the ability to travel from one place to another using Corridors of Darkness."

"'Corridors of Darkness'? That can't be a good sign…" Barnes grumbled before Link gave him a sharp nudge.

"To continue," Sheik cut in. "About a week ago, I caught a glimpse of a tall man with a black hood while I was on patrol. I could feel his immense power even from a distance, and my head seemed to hurt when I was around him, almost as if my missing memories were connected to him. Curious, I endured the pain long enough to follow him for a while before he used a Corridor of Darkness to leave the area. I was… surprised, to say the least, that another person had the same ability as me."

"So what did you do?" Sora asked, getting more interested by the minute.

"I think you can guess," the woman replied. "I too opened up a Corridor and left Eldin Province in order to search for him. I foolishly believed that if I were to find him and make contact, I could regain my memories." Her eyes closed, as if she were trying to hide her shame. "After traveling from one part of Hyrule to another, I lost him. When I returned, strange monsters had appeared in the province and the Light Spirit Eldin had been severely weakened.

"I spoke to Eldin, and he told me that man responsible for the creatures was after one who possessed a pure heart, completely devoid of darkness. He also told me where I could find this person, and I traveled there immediately."

"And that was when you saved me, right?" Kairi piped up.

Nodding, Sheik said, "Exactly. You know the rest of the story; Link, Sora and I took care of the rest of the monsters, restored Eldin's light and that was when you found us."

No one said anything for a minute. Finally, Renado walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "This was not your fault, Sheik. Your desire to regain your memories is completely understandable."

Her red eyes widened. "But… I swore I would protect the village!"

Then it was Link's turn to speak. "Those things attacked my village too, and I tried to fight them on my own, but I was overwhelmed pretty quickly. If it wasn't for Sora and his friends, I probably wouldn't be here. Who's to say the same thing wouldn't have happened to you?"

"Link's right," Sora agreed. "You're just one person, and what happened was out of your control. Whoever brought the Heartless and the Nobodies here is the one at fault, not you. And besides, you were able to save Kairi when I couldn't, so that should count for something."

Sheik was amazed at how understanding the others were… well, except maybe Barnes, but he probably didn't want to admit he was wrong about her. "Thank you for listening, all of you."

…

Being an early riser, Link was the first one up, although he was closely followed by Sora. "Hey Sora, I'd like a favor."

"Oh? What's that?" the Keybearer asked as he ate his breakfast.

"How would you like to do a little sparring with me?" the blonde offered. "I found a couple of wooden swords we can use."

"Hmm, the Hero of Hyrule versus the Keybearer? That should be fun," Midna commented from the shadows.

Sora grinned at the prospect, but then something else came to mind. "That does sound like fun, but what about the Gorons?"

"We'll get to that, but the Goron mines we'll be going into have several magnetic surfaces that require a certain item to travel them," Link explained. "I had them, but _somebody_ sent them back to Ordon Village."

"You could've gotten them back while we were still there, you know," Midna reminded.

"Well I didn't know that you weren't holding on to them at the time!" the young hero countered.

It was then that Kairi walked in and joined Sora at the table. "Good morning! Are they always like that?"

"Oh, morning Kairi," Sora greeted. "Yeah, those two get into arguments once in a while. It's really no big deal."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Is Mr. Link here?"

The bickering between Link and Midna stopped as the boy turned toward the door. "I know that voice… I'll be right back," Link said as he walked to the door and answered. "Oh, hello Mailman."

"Greetings, Mr. Link!" a man in a red cap replied. "I've come to deliver a letter and a package." The mailman handed Link a letter then gestured to a box on the ground next to him. "It is a letter from Locke, and a package from Mayor Bo. Well, my business is concluded. Onward to mail!" And with a salute, the man ran off as quickly as he had come.

Link stared after the mailman for a minute before turning his attention to the package. "I hope that's what I think it is," he muttered as he reached down to pick it up. However, the box was remarkably heavy for its size.

"Having trouble there?" Sora asked with a light smirk.

"Just give me some room," the blonde grunted, and the Keybearer quickly backed up so Link could bring the package in. This time, the hero was able to pick up the box with a little more effort, but he was only able to carry it to the center of the room before he dropped it. "*Phew!* Boy, I forgot how heavy those things are."

"Open the letter first," Sora suggested as he and Kairi walked over. Link opened the letter and it read:

_Link,_

_I was able to make it to Ordon Village in one piece and tell Rusl about the Resistance. He's on his way to Hyrule Castle Town right now. Now about the package; I ran into the mayor and mentioned you were headed towards the mountains. In the box are the Iron Boots he gave you before, and he says you may need them, although he can't recall when you returned them. I hope our paths cross again soon. Good luck, and say hi to Sora and Midna for me!_

_-Locke_

_P.S. Careful, those things are heavy! How can you walk in those things?!_

Smiling to himself, Link put the letter away and quickly opened the box. Sure enough, a pair of sturdy Iron Boots was inside.

**You got the Iron Boots!**

"Whoa, I can see why you were having difficulty!" Kairi said in amazement. "They're literally made of iron!"

"Yeah, I'll be holding on to those till you need them," Midna piped up, appearing before the teens long enough to make the boots seemingly vanish. "I wonder where Sheik could be?"

"I haven't seen her since last night," Sora said. "Maybe she needed more rest than she thought."

"Still not the most discreet, are you Sora?" Sheik's voice suddenly spoke up.

"Gah!" Sora exclaimed, whirling around to see Sheik standing in the doorway. "Oh, morning Sheik. How long were you standing there?"

"Not long," she answered. "If you are ready, then I suggest we head to the Goron territory. Kairi, I must ask you to remain here, where you will be safe."

Kairi was about to protest when Sora cut her off with a quick kiss. "Don't worry, we'll be back later, okay?"

Her cheeks a little flushed, the redhead sighed and nodded her head. "Alright Sora, just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," the Keybearer reassured, pulling Kairi in for one more kiss before he, Link and Sheik left the house.


	11. Chapter 10

**Soooo sorry I took so long, guys! Here's chapter 10, just for you! As usual, please read, review and enjoy!**

**P.S. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Legend of Zelda.**

Sora, Link and Sheik made their way up the mountain path until they reached the ledge they had passed before. Climbing to the top of the ledge, this time Sora could plainly see the tough-looking creature called a Goron.

And the Goron saw him too, apparently. "Ho! A strange human! What business have you with the Gorons?"

"Worry not, Brother," Sheik piped up, suddenly appearing behind the Keybearer. "He is with us."

The Goron's black eyes seemed to light up. "Ah, Brother Sheik! And Brother Link, as well. Good to see you both!"

"'Brother?'" Sora asked Sheik with a confused look.

"All Gorons are male and consider each other brothers, so they address each other as such. It simply means that like Link, I managed to earn the Gorons' respect," she explained before lowering her voice. "Also, there is really no use trying to correct them."

"I see," Sora muttered before facing the Goron once again. "I'm Sora, it's nice to meet you!"

"And you as well!" the Goron said, bowing his head before addressing Link and Sheik. "Gor Coron will be pleased to see you, Brothers. He is at the top of the mountain."

"Gor Coron?" Link asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Shouldn't that be Darbus? Unless…"

"The elder will explain," the Goron told him. "Be careful, strange creatures have been appearing around the mountain."

"Don't worry, we will," Sora said reassuringly before they began making their way up the mountain.

Link's expression became one of concern. "Darbus is the tribe's patriarch; something must have happened to him for Gor Coron to take his place."

"Perhaps he got stuck in the mines and cursed again?" Midna jokingly suggested.

"Let us hope that is not the case," Sheik replied.

Halfway down the path, a few fireballs were shot in the group's direction. Looking around, Sora spotted a few Heartless known as Red Nocturnes floating above them. "Heads up!"

Link quickly held up his shield to deflect the fire while Sheik ran ahead and leapt into the air. She then disappeared in a puff of smoke before reappearing behind one of the Heartless and stabbing it with her sword. "Link!" she shouted as she kicked a second Nocturne towards him.

The young hero timed the swing of his sword perfectly in order to hit the Heartless, cutting it cleanly in two.

Sora, on the other hand, used his Blizzard spell to create a chunk of ice and send it slicing right through the remaining Red Nocturne. "Boy, that Goron wasn't kidding," he commented to the others.

"We'd better keep an eye out for more," Link said with a nod as he returned the sword and shield to his back.

Luckily, they made it to the top of Death Mountain without any other interruptions. However, there seemed to be a slight rumbling and fiery rocks were falling toward the ground. "What the?! Is Death Mountain a volcano?"

"I suppose we did forget to mention tha- Incoming!" Sheik cut herself off as the three of them jumped away to avoid one of the rocks.

"That's odd, the last time this happened was one year ago," Link commented as he stood up.

Midna suddenly came out of Link's shadow. "Sounds like I may have been right, after all. I can feel some of my power close by… quite possibly in the mines."

"Oh no…" Link muttered as a couple of Gorons approached them.

"Are you all right, Brothers?" one of them asked.

"We are fine, thank you," Sheik replied. "How long has this been going on?"

"Since our patriarch went into the mines and did not come out," the other one told her, gesturing towards a metal-lined opening in the rock face. "Gor Coron can explain."

Sora then noticed that getting up to Gor Coron wasn't going to be easy; aside from falling rocks being an additional danger, the cliffs and metal platforms that led to the elder seemed inaccessible. "How do we get up there?"

"We will help you," the first Goron answered before leading them over to one of the cliffs. He then curled up into a ball, allowing Link to climb onto his back.

"Watch carefully, Sora," Link instructed before the Goron suddenly uncurled, flinging the young hero up to the next level. "You get it?" he called down.

"Got it!" the brunette replied before approaching the Goron. Within seconds, he too was shot up into the air and he landed right next to Link.

Sheik soon joined them, and they continued their way up. They ran into the occasional steam spout, but Sora and Sheik were able to jump over them while Link stomped right through them while wearing the Iron Boots. "Huh, I guess you _can_ walk in those things," Sora commented.

"It's not easy, but yes," Link said as he hopped out of the boots and gave them back to Midna.

With the Gorons' help, the party soon made their way to the chamber, where a shorter Goron with purple markings awaited them. "Ah, Brothers Link and Sheik. It is good of you to come."

"It's good to see you too," Link said with a small smile.

"And who might this little human be?" the elder asked, noticing the Keybearer accompanying them.

_Little?_ Sora thought irritably before quickly composing himself. "I'm Sora, a warrior from… very far away."

"I am called Gor Coron," the elder Goron said. "In place of our patriarch Darbus, I am leading the tribe."

"We heard about Darbus," Sheik told him. "What made him go into the mines? Was it Death Mountain's activity?"

Nodding, Gor Coron replied, "But not just that. The mountain was angered to be sure, but we also received word of a hooded figure near our mines. Under normal circumstances, outsiders are not permitted inside, as they are our sacred grounds. Darbus did not want harm to befall his brothers, so he entered the mines himself… but he never returned. Since then, the eruptions have become more frequent, much like the events of last year."

"A hooded figure?" Link muttered, recalling Sheik's story.

"We have to help him!" Sora piped up suddenly. "That hooded figure might be in there with him!"

"Sora!" Sheik said sternly, whipping around to face the boy. "Be respectful!"

"Stand down, Brother Sheik, it is fine," Gor Coron said, and Sheik backed off. Addressing the young Keybearer, he told him, "You have quite the fire within you, young one. It reminds me of Brother Link when he first approached me. Very well; since you are a friend of my Brothers, I will allow you to enter the mines with them. On behalf of my entire clan, I ask you three… go to the aid of Darbus!"

"It will be our honor, Gor Coron," Link replied.

"We will ensure the patriarch's safety," Sheik added with a bow of her head.

With a nod, Gor Coron turned to the two guards who were standing behind him. "You two! Allow them to pass." And just like that, the guards moved aside, and the small group took off for the mines.

If Sora thought it was warm outside, the heat inside the mines was sweltering due to the many pools of lava. Some of the molten rock occasionally shot up due to the mountain's eruptions, and there were several metal structures littering the area.

"Aw man, and I thought deserts were hot," the boy muttered, wiping his already-sweaty forehead.

"Well what did you expect? We're in a volcano, after all," Midna commented from within Link's shadow.

"Leave him alone, Midna," Link told her before he leapt onto a rock platform in the lava pool. Sheik and Sora quickly followed suit, leaping across using the rock platforms until they reached the other side.

As they began making their way through the metal structures, Sora was suddenly glad he was wearing gloves as the metal was hot to the touch. He wondered how Sheik was handling it, as the only coverings on her hands and feet were bandages on her fingers and thin padded shoes. She did pause when they reached a ladder, but only to wrap some additional bandages around the palms of her hands before she climbed up.

After a while, they reached a room with a magnetic ceiling. "I know how I'm getting across, but what about you two?" Link asked the others.

"Well I should be able to glide over there," Sora said after thinking for a minute.

"Glide? As in fly?" Midna asked skeptically, popping out of Link's shadow. "Surely even a Keybearer has his limits."

Determined to prove the Twilight Princess wrong, Sora ran forward and before either Link or Sheik could stop him, he launched himself off the platform. Spreading his arms out, the boy activated his Glide ability and effortlessly flew to the next platform.

"Wow…" Link muttered in amazement. He then shook his head and looked over at Sheik. "And you, Sheik?"

"Do not worry about me, I can teleport my way over," the woman replied before vanishing in a puff of smoke. She reappeared halfway before disappearing again and showing up next to a startled Sora.

Now it was Link's turn. Getting back into the Iron Boots, he then stomped down on a heavy switch before being yanked up to the ceiling by a strong magnetic force. He stomped his way across before finally slipping out of the boots landing next to the rest of the party.

"Okay, that was pretty cool," Sora said, clearly impressed by the Iron Boots.

"Same with your gliding," Link replied. "Why didn't you do that back in the Forest Temple?"

Shrugging, the brunette answered, "I dunno. Swinging on monkeys was so much fun, I guess it didn't occur to me."

Chuckling, the young hero said, "Ha ha, okay you've got a point there."

Letting out a soft sigh, Sheik got the boys' attention. "Let us move on, shall we?"

After some more wondering, Sora suddenly noticed that someone was missing. "Uh, Link? Where did Sheik go?"

"I thought she was behind you," Link answered as he opened a door.

"I noticed her slip away a while ago," Midna piped up. "I wonder where she could have gone."

"And you're just telling us now?" Sora asked, getting more and more annoyed with the snarky imp.

Before the conversation could go any further, they were attacked by Red Nocturnes and they had to hide behind a wall to avoid the fireballs. Sora fired off a couple of Blizzard spells which got rid of three of them, but there wasn't much else he could do without using up his mana. "We're pinned down! Now what?" the Keybearer shouted, looking at Link for any ideas.

Suddenly, an arrow flew through the air and hit one of the Heartless. Looking in the direction the arrow came from, Link spotted Sheik standing there with a bow in her hand. "I thought you might need this," she said, rushing over and handing the bow to Link along with a quiver of arrows.

**You got the Hero's Bow!**

"Thanks!" Link said as he slung the quiver onto his back, then quickly nocked an arrow. He and Sora then came out of hiding and he shot one of the Nocturnes right between the eyes. The hero then grabbed a second arrow and quickly pulled back and fired, hitting another enemy. Another quick shot later, and the remaining Heartless fell and disappeared.

"Nice shooting!" Sora complimented.

Handing the bow off to Midna, Link said with a smile, "Thanks. Feels good having the Hero's Bow back." The blonde then turned to Sheik. "That was a pretty good shot back there. Have you used a bow before?"

The Nobody's eyes glanced off to the side. "I do not know. But… it seemed very natural, so I suppose I have." Almost absentmindedly, she started rubbing her right temple as she spoke.

"Is something wrong?" Sora asked, a little concerned about his companion.

Shaking her head, Sheik replied, "I am fine, it is only a slight headache."

"Do you need to rest?" Link questioned, placing a hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"No," she answered almost immediately. "I appreciate your concern, you two, but the faster we find Darbus, the sooner we can get out of this heat." And with that, she walked on ahead.

The party managed to fight their way through several Soldier Heartless before finally reaching the large door where Darbus likely was. Thanks to the Keyblade, Sora was able to unlock the door easily, and they went in.

Once they walked into the dimly-lit room, the door slammed shut behind them. Before the party stood a large, black humanoid monster whose wrists and ankles were bound to the ceiling and floor with chains. "Oh gods…" Link whispered as he stared up at the creature. "Don't tell me…"

"Is that Darbus?" Sora asked, keeping his voice low so the monster wouldn't wake up. "What happened to him?"

"If I had to guess, the hooded figure infected him with my power over the Twilight," Midna said. "He's no longer Darbus, but Fyrus now."

"The only way to free him from the Twilight is to defeat him in battle," Link explained as he reached for his bow. But before anything else happened, Sheik let out a sharp gasp and started rubbing her forehead. "Sheik? What's wrong?"

"Head hurts…" she muttered, glancing past Fyrus. Barely visible in the shadows was a tall figure in a black hooded cloak, his face completely hidden. "It is him… the man I saw before…" Sheik whispered, her red eyes wide.

The man held up one hand before snapping his fingers, and a second later the crystal on Fyrus' forehead glowed. Now awake, the monster roared at the party while lighting his entire body on fire! "Uh guys? I suggest you come up with a strategy and fast!" Midna said before quickly ducking into Link's shadow.

As Fyrus began tugging at his chains, Link spoke quickly. "Okay, we need to stun him first. Sheik, think you can hit that crystal with your needles?"

"You doubt my skill?" Sheik replied with a spark of confidence in her eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes," Link said. "I'll don the Iron Boots and grab one of the chains on his feet to make him fall over. Once he's down, I'll need Sora to be ready to hit that crystal. Keyblade, magic, whatever works."

"Leave it to me!" Sora said just as Fyrus broke free of his chains. Letting out a terrifying roar, the creature stomped toward the party and the three promptly split up.

Sheik ducked to avoid one of the chains as it was whipped at her before conjuring up three needles in her hand. She then threw them with incredible precision, all three of them hitting the crystal and stunning Fyrus.

Link took that as his cue to dash for the magnetic floor. Donning the Iron Boots, the young hero grabbed a chain and tugged with all his strength, sending the surprised monster to the ground. "Sora, now!"

"I'm on it!" Keyblade in hand, Sora rushed up and landed a solid hit on Fyrus' crystal. The creature pulled away with a howl of pain and before long he was back on his feet, spewing fire at the Keybearer. "Shield!" Sora shouted, quickly using his Reflect spell to protect himself with a barrier of light. The minute the fire hit the barrier, a burst of light was sent right back at Fyrus, blinding him for a second and sending him stumbling into the wall.

Sheik took this opportunity to move in, her needles ready, and once again she scored a direct hit, but wasn't able to dodge the swinging chain.

"Sheik!" Sora cried as the Nobody slammed into the wall. After sending her a quick Cure spell, he looked over at the young hero. "Link, let's switch up!" Being stronger than he looked, the Keybearer was able to pull hard on Fyrus' chain even without the Iron Boots.

Nodding, Link drew his sword and ran in front of the monster just as he hit the ground. The blonde struck the crystal, and once again Fyrus reeled back. "Once more, and he'll be finished!"

Sheik rejoined the boys just in time for a wall of fire to appear between them and Fyrus. "Grrr, my needles will not make it through those flames!" the woman growled as they shielded their faces against the heat.

Sora's eyes suddenly lit up. "Sheik, think fast!"

**Ice Ball Slam**

Sheik's fast reflexes allowed her to catch the large ice ball created by Sora's Blizzard spell. Realizing what the boy had in mind, Sheik willed herself to teleport to the top of Fyrus' head, his metal face plate inadvertently protecting her from his flaming body. Then as she leapt off, the woman slammed the ice ball onto the crystal, and this time it was more than enough to send the creature reeling before it fell to the ground. "Now!"

Link and Sora prepared their respective blades and each landed a blow to the crystal, barely missing each other as their paths crossed.

Thrashing about in agony, the room brightened as Fyrus let out a final roar before the crystal exploded. The monster then burst into many Twilight shards, and Midna came out of Link's shadow as they shot toward her, becoming absorbed by the Twilight Princess and restoring more of her power.

The hooded figure grimaced before opening a Corridor of Darkness, leaving the mines for good. This was witnessed by Sheik, and she relaxed as the pain in her head went away. She silently cursed herself for letting him slip away, but right now there were more important things to take care of.

Link rushed over to Darbus, who had collapsed once the Twilight had left him. "Darbus! Darbus, are you alright?"

The large Goron leader cringed before opening his eyes to see the Hylian. "Wha… what happened? Brother Link… is that you? I can't remember a thing…"

"Don't worry, everything's okay," Link assured him with a small smile.

Sora breathed a sigh of relief, glad that everything went well and the Goron patriarch was safe. Glancing back at Sheik, he said, "Guess we better head back, huh?"

Nodding, the Nobody told him, "We can leave Darbus here for now. Once he recovers, he can find his way out with no problems."

"In that case, let's be on our way," Midna piped up before teleporting herself, Link, Sora and Sheik out of the Goron Mines. In the back of her mind, the imp wondered who that man in the black cloak was, and why his aura seemed so familiar.


End file.
